Trigger Thumb return from a five-year hiatus sounding impatient with the idea of easing back in. The EP opens at full throttle with “Mean It” which detonates immediately, pairing serrated riffs with Aaron’s ferocious, shape-shifting vocals before the band lock into the kind of muscular groove that has always been their calling card. Trigger Thumb occupy a strange sweet spot catchy without dilution, heavy without pushing you away and remain bafflingly underrated given how naturally they balance technical precision with sheer immediacy.

What makes the record compelling is its constant motion. Tongue-in-cheek lyrics slip between moments of near-mainstream accessibility and passages that feel gleefully unhinged, while the band pivot effortlessly through angular structures that never lose their hooks. “Slime” leans hard into groove, the kind that forces you to pull all the stupidest faces involuntarily, flirting with a knowingly playful, modernised nu-metal swagger. “The Fish” stretches the palette further, folding those influences into a more contemporary, math-rock-adjacent framework that resists easy categorisation. Every element feels intentional with Wills tight, driving drums and Damons basslines that move with purpose, and riffs that twist rather than repeat.

The entire EP is self-produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by the band themselves , a DIY effort that sounds absolutely phenomenal. The closing track, “Pain Means Progress”, is the most unexpected turn yet, built on deep, growling bass and sketchy guitar lines that swing with a jazzy, almost big-band looseness, offering a genuinely fresh texture within modern alternative music. It’s a confident, restless statement from a Bradford band operating at a level that deserves far wider attention. Watch this space.