Compiled by Monk
For many years, the EP – or ‘Extended Player’, to give it its full title – was a criminally overlooked format. But, in recent years, it has made something of a deserved comeback, as bands face the challenge of continually producing new material but often not being able to commit to the cost of, or time to, recording full-length albums. During the course of the global pandemic, it has become an even more important tool for artists to get new music out there, with bands often availing of limited time between lockdowns to lay down a handful of songs, or individual members taking the opportunity either to strip things right back to their basics, or indulge in online collaborations with like-minded fellow troubadours.
As regular readers will be well aware, the EPa format which Über Rock has long championed, and they are a pivotal part of not only our weekly reviewing output but also our traditional end-of-year round-ups. So, with that in mind, our team of crack ninja reviewers remember the examplars of the shorter form which have tickled their aural delights over the past 12 months:
DJ Astrocreep
- Mark Morton – ‘Ether’
- Attic Theory – ‘The Sign of an Active Mind’
- SPQR – ‘No Brain, No Pain’
- Black Market Heart – ‘Transfusion’
- Malevolence – ‘The Other Side’ / Talk Show – ‘These People’
Gerald Stansbury
Jim Rowland
- The Damned – ‘The Rockfield Files’
- Fu Manchu – ‘FU30’
- Amyl & The Sniffers – ‘Live At the Croxton’
- Voivod – ‘The End Of Dormancy’
- Red Light Acid Test – ‘Red Light Acid Test’
John Bedard
- La Moxie – ‘You’ve Burnt Your Bridge Now Lie In It’
- The Flesh Trading Company – ‘Franconian Witchcraft’
- In Arcadia – ‘Phon’
- Floating Black Prism – ‘Under The Weight Of An Ominous Presence’
- Stocksnskins – ‘Drinks ‘n’ Nibbles’
- Zeal & Ardor – ‘Wake Of A Nation’
- Scour – ‘Black’
- Soilwork – ‘A Whisp Of The Atlantic’
Jonny Bakes- Soilwork – ‘A Whisp Of The Atlantic’
- Alpha Boötis – ‘Stowaway Ants’
- Eskimo Callboy – ‘MMXX’
- The Chats – ‘Dine N Dash’
- MuscleWizard – ‘2089’
- Killswitch Engage – ‘Atonement II: B-Sides for Charity’
- Ihsahn – ‘Telemark’
- Zeal & Ardor – ‘Wake of a Nation’
- Tom Morello – ‘Comandante’
- Clowncore – ‘Van’
Monk- Rich Kid Expre$$ – ‘Bubblegum Radio’
- Matty James Cassidy – ‘4X4X1’
- The Idolizers – ‘The Idolizers’
- Jamie Lenman – ‘King Of Clubs’
- Dead Posey – ‘Malfunction’
- The Suicide Notes – ‘Pleasures Of Despair’
- Disgraceland – ‘Dose ‘Em Up’
- Bootyard Bandits – ‘The Very Best Of Bootyard Bandits’
- Molly Karloff – ‘Supernaturalation’
- Deathless Dogs – ‘Five Across The Eyes’
- Vane – ‘The Nightmare’
- Burgerkill – ‘Killchestra’
- Jamie Lenman – ‘King of Clubs’
- Pressure Cracks – ‘This Is Called Survival’
- Phalanx – ‘Golden Horde’
- Dripback – ‘Blessed With Less Than Nothing’
- Bayside – ‘Acoustic Vol. 3’
- The Idolizers – ‘The Idolizers’
- State Champs – ‘Unplugged’
- Kayleigh Goldsworthy – ‘All These Miles (Demos)’
So, there you have it. Our team’s pick of the crop of the vast number of EPs which came our way during this traumatic year. It’s by no means a definitive “Best Of…” selection: just our personal choices – choices which once again reflect the diverse musical tastes of the ÜR team and the differing tastes they bring to ensure that we remain one of the most diverse rock ‘n’ roll websites around. Elsewhere today, you’ll find our team sharing their favourite cover versions of this past year, as well as looking back at some of the live shows which managed to be staged before the global pan(dem)ic hit, while tomorrow we will be closing out 2020 in time-honoured fashion, with our selections of our favourite albums of the year…
Until then, as we say here at ÜRHQ… keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges – and keep the music alive \m/