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This year has gone by fast, with plenty of music released over the past twelve months, from great new bands and artists releasing strong debuts, to others adding more solid releases to their discography. With the end of a year comes year-end lists, and this is the first of a couple that will be posted here on Live A Little Bit Louder. With all of that being said, here are my top fifteen favorite EPs of 2018, 15. TIRED EYES “IN DENIAL, FORCE A SMILE”After hearing one song from this EP, I was immediately intrigued and left wanting to hear more from Tired Eyes’ debut EP, “In Denial, Force A Smile.” The dark intro “Unforgiveness” shows off instrumentals and foreshadows the overall sound of the EP, with “Tempt Me” being more melodic and catchy, and songs like “A Place, A Space, A Symphony” and “Outta Sight” adding some spoken word sections and shouted vocals into the mix, and the fantastic closer “LOVECVTS” standing out amongst the rest with its undeniable energy. The band has such an interesting sound and it shows through each track on this release. 14. DIFFERENCES “DEAF PERCEPTION”Something that made Differences’ debut EP really stand out was not only the emotion that’s found all throughout every single one of these five songs, but the way they tell a story with the lyrics, painting a metaphorical picture in someone’s mind as they listen to these tracks and pay close attention to the lyrical content. There’s a great blend of both hard-hitting, aggressive moments both vocally and instrumentally (especially on tracks like the opener “Birth Write” and “People In Need) and more melodic ones (primarily on “2 A.M.” and the fantastic lead single “Rescape”) that will impress you when you hear it for the first time and that make “Deaf Perception” a release that should be on your radar. 13. MIKE SHINODA “POST TRAUMATIC”Mike Shinoda released quite a bit of solo material over the course of 2018, but out of all the music he’s released this year under his own name, the three songs on the “Post Traumatic” EP seemed to stick with me the most throughout the remainder of the year. Each song seems to show a different side of him as a musician, whether incorporating his rap and hip hop roots on the closer “Watching As I Fall” or taking a more melodic approach on “Over Again” and the incredible opener “Place To Start.” The melodies and hooks on these songs are very memorable and the lyrics are so detailed, showing just as much raw emotion as the performances portray. 12. HOMEBOUND “MORE TO ME THAN MISERY”UK pop punk band Homebound released their third EP over the summer, and it’s yet another fantastic release from them. The band continued to evolve their sound on this release and picked up right where last year’s “The Mould You Build Yourself Around” left off. Dark opener “Change Of Heart” and lead single “Coming Clean” bring plenty of energy and so many hooks that will inevitably have you singing along, while even some of the slower ones like “Indelible” and “Yours Truly” bring so much emphasis and emotion, and altogether, these songs make “More To Me Than Misery” one of the strongest releases in Homebound’s discography. 11. WRITE HOME “OVERGROWN”After releasing an impressive debut single, Write Home followed it up with a set of songs that make up “Overgrown.” The EP consists of quite a few tracks (“Violet,” “Gloss & Bloom,” and the amazing lead single “Overgrown”) that are more upbeat with harder hitting instrumentals and vocals, but also ones like the great opener “Sow” and the fantastic closer “Reap,” which are slower and softer, but still have huge sections with plenty of emotion, especially in the vocals. All of these songs are very well-written and captivating, making “Overgrown” an interesting listen. 10. CHIEF STATE “NOTHING MORE THAN THIS”Chief State are a band that I’ve heard a lot about for a really long time, but when I heard this EP, I was so impressed. In addition to the catchy choruses and vocals that really stand out while delivering those melodies, each song is filled with energy delivered by the great instrumentals all throughout this release. These songs became more and more memorable each time I listened and kept me coming back repeatedly, especially towards the end of this year. If you’re a fan of pop punk, then this is one release you absolutely need to check out. 9. romance & rebellion "amps & anthems"Following up their self-titled debut, Romance & Rebellion released their sophomore EP early this year. Romance & Rebellion have returned with four tracks that bring pure pop rock perfection, from the upbeat "Put Me Out Of My Misery" and fantastic lead single "For A Moment" to the passionate ballad "I Don't Believe In Love." Each of these four tracks brings something memorable to the table and makes "Amps & Anthems" a strong sophomore release. 8. JON PATTIE “REFLECTIONS VOL. I”After getting the chance to interview Jon this fall, I decided to give this EP a listen and I was blown away. Lead single “Won’t Be Young” is easily the most upbeat on the EP and kicks it off well, contrasting from the other two much slower tracks, “Reflections” and “State Of Mind,” both of which show so much emotion and hit as hard vocally as they do lyrically. That emotion, passion, and just the genuine talent that Jon has as a musician are shown all throughout this EP and made me want to come back to these three songs. 7. MILKK “SAD GIRLS”Following the success of their first two singles, MILKK released their debut EP earlier this year, and it was worth the wait. The title track and two of those singles “Less Than 3” and “Pacific Kiss” are more upbeat, while slower ones like “IDWK” and “Ice And Sugar” are still equally as memorable, making “Sad Girls” as a whole a very strong start for MILKK. 6. ASSUMING WE SURVIVE "chapteRs" California based Assuming We Survive have created two EPs and a full length worth of solid pop punk and easycore material that proved why they’re such a breakout band in that scene, but their latest effort shows them branching out a bit. Songs like “California Stoned” and “Searching” show the band’s roots, while standout numbers like the punk-leaning “Make It Out Alive” and more aggressive “Tear Me” show the band incorporating darker and heavier elements into their sound. 5. 18th & ADDISON “VULTURES”Punk rock duo 18th and Addison returned with what might be the most experimental release in their discography. The brilliant lead single “Time Bomb” and great opener “Not My Home” both incorporate more of the pop punk influences, while the energetic “Waves” shows the band’s punk rock roots. The fact that the band included various elements from multiple different styles and subgenres of rock music, providing something for many fans of that genre as a whole to enjoy. 4. boxford "FACADE"I discovered Boxford by complete chance, but was quickly impressed by their catchy debut single “Incandescent,” an extremely catchy and memorable track that might be one of my favorite pop punk tracks to come out this year. The other two songs this EP offers did the same, both incorporating a balance of clean vocals that show a lot of raw emotion and some more aggressive ones that fit perfectly with the darker, harder hitting instrumentals. The lyrics tackle and spread awareness about mental health, and the performances delivered by this band portray that emotion very well. 3. GOLDVIEW "until morning comes"I really enjoyed “Positivity,” the debut single from this band - it’s a really catchy and overall solid pop punk track that starts off this EP strong, and the tracks that follow just keep getting better and better. The remaining singles “Friday Nights Don’t Last Forever” and “Scenic Route” bring a ton of energy, while tracks like the standout “Pride Lands” slow things down a bit and show a lot of emotion. After hearing this EP for the first time, I kept coming back for many repeated listens and it quickly climbed its way towards this spot on this list. 2. MAE KRELL "anabasis" One thing I really liked about Mae Krell’s debut EP “Anabasis” was not only the impressive performances that show how talented Mae is as a musician, but also the emotion shown all throughout those performances, whether in more upbeat tracks like singles “Monsters” and “Scars” or the slower tracks “Skin” and “Letters To The Hospital.” Each of these tracks not only touch on what it’s like dealing with these various different situations, but also rising above them and moving forward. The title itself means to ascend and advance onwards, and I think that describes this EP perfectly. 1. shaded "A familiar love" I’d heard good things about UK based pop punk band SHADED in the past and thought their debut EP was a solid release, but their sophomore effort, “A Familiar Love,” kicks things up a notch. Every single track on here, from the upbeat opener “Dream Girl” to slightly slower numbers like standout “Dead Feelings” and the strong closer “You.” bring catchy melodies, impressive performances and overall make the listeners want to come back time and time again.
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