Halifax are a band that I’d heard a lot of good things about but until recently hadn’t really sat down and listened to them but as soon as I stuck their debut Drive Thru Records EP ‘A Writer’s Reference’ into my CD player I knew this was going to be a band that I was going to like. Their sound is one that is somewhere inbetween being Pop-Punk and Post-Hardcore and one main band that they do remind me of are The Movielife. That is a major compliment as I still consider myself a massive fan of The Movielife even now, nearly two years since the band split up.

The EP kicks off with the amazing ‘ Sydney’ which is the best song on this EP and really shows off Halifax’s own blend of Pop-Hardcore which erupts the second you press the play button. The title track achieves a similar positive outcome as vocalist Mike Hunau shouts “Regret me, don’t forget me”, it sound’s brilliant. ‘I Hate Your Eyes’ is another hard hitting track which contains a great guitar riff during the breakdown while ‘Broken Glass Syndrome’ is a really brilliant melodic track. By this time I’m thinking that there’s got to be a weaker track on here but my fears are unfounded when ‘The Next Two Weeks’ comes on and is another great melodic track with both outstanding guitar and drum part’s and Mike Hanau’s vocals really shine on this one. The EP end’s on a slower song ‘Scarlet Letter Part II’ which show’s that this band really can do it all and it’s a beautiful track to end on.

I am now really looking forward to seeing these guys next month on the next Drive-Thru Records UK Tour and with their full length debut on Drive Thru due this summer, 2005 is set to be a big year for Halifax. In my opinion these guys are the best new Drive-Thru band since Hidden In Plain View and I think that this EP is actually better than the first HIPV EP so I really can’t wait to see what they can offer on a full length album.

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