No Trigger is back, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who experiences joy seeing those words written. While getting caught up in what more or less amounted to the demise of Nitro Records along with a couple other bands, Massachusetts’ No Trigger showed signs of standing out from the pack of melodic punk/hardcore released around that time with the full length Canyoneer. But then the band largely fell off the face of the planet after that release…in 2006.
But in January 2011, the band reemerged, original lineup intact, to release the 7-inch Be Honest on Mightier Than Sword Records. With a full-length release announced for No Sleep Records sometime this year, it seems No Trigger is trying to slip back into the music scene through the backdoor of limited edition vinyl (only 1,000 copies of Be Honest were pressed), but it’s a daunting task to return after nearly a five-year absence with only two-tracks to grab the interest of fans.
The band opts to present “Commonwealth” and “Tooth” as the two titles declaring its reemergence. But both indicate that the years have changed the No Trigger we knew. “Commonwealth” has the closest ties to the band’s old sound. It is a fast, aggressive cut, and something of an ode to the band’s hometown of Massachusetts, declaring, “I was born in Massachusetts. No regret and no excuses. I was born in Massachusetts. This is where I’ll die.”
“Tooth,” on the other hand, is a much longer track, and the sounds are much more pop-punk than melodic hardcore, reminding of something from the era when bands like New Found Glory, All Time Low and company were reigning on the Warped Tour. No Trigger doesn’t present a track quite as poppy, and there’s a great heavy bass drum kick section near the end, but after popping Canyoneer back in (thinking maybe I had remembered the band as a bit harder than they ever were) it is clear that the sound had changed.
Only a new full-length will tell what direction No Trigger is heading, but fans looking for a bold return to the band’s sound from 2006 aren’t going to find that here. That’s not to say the two tracks are bad, just unexpected. But frankly, after such a long break, the two do too little to reinvigorate real interest in the band again. Hopefully what’s to come has a bit more bite. No Trigger needs that energy and aggression.
Mightier Than Sword released the 1,000 copies of Be Honest in the following allotment – 100 coke bottle clear with off-white splatter, 200 half yellow/half off-white, 300 mint green with dark red splatter and 400 solid white. I got the half yellow/half off-white combo and I’m not a big fan of the scheme, so the mint green and coke bottle varieties look like the way to go if one can still get their hands on them.
The pressing is average for an EP – nothing bad, nothing spectacular. But it does come in with a nice insert sheet that features a band photo on one side and the lyrics on the other, with a scheme that matches the fantastic artwork. The front of the vinyl sleeve features a flannel-laden, suspenders wearing, hairy-chested dude on a boat, with a bird, rainbow, lighthouse and much more going on in the scene. The back features a panda on a raft, fishing. As strange as it all sounds, it works quite well. Fans who enjoyed the ridiculousness of the rock monster on the front of Canyoneer shouldn’t be disappointed here.
Review by: Bill Jones
Sound/Pressing Quality: 4/5
The Album: 3/5
Artwork & Packaging: 4/5
Buy This Album Exclusively At Shop Radio Cast- No Trigger “Be Honest” 7″
Vinyl Collective boards
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