I’m not sure the moniker is totally befitting. Based on the scant offering of five songs (it is only an EP after all), I’d say Overzealous is just keen enough. Amid personal tragedy, global geo-political machines crush rock and roll dreams, but somehow they come out of it all with more energy than I’ve heard committed to tape in a while. It would be worth checking out some of their personal story.

Most straight-ahead rock bands come up short on their records. The phrase “You got to see ’em live,” comes to mind. After the first time through this EP, I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all. The production is slick but has an uncommon edge to it. Capturing the energy of a band on a recording is tough. Typically you either get a product that sounds like digital ambrosia, tinny ’80s boombox-in-my-bedroom fare, or somewhere dreadfully in-between: “Thanks for the $500 gift card to Guitar Center, Mom.” Let’s remember that making a tape in your bedroom with your big brother’s Magnavox-a-karaoke-phonic dreamcoat isn’t always a bad thing—love you John Darnielle.

Despite the corporate compression ear-crusher, it’s not bad rock ‘n’ roll. The songs are up-tempo, hard-driving power-pop and other hyphenated descriptors and qualifiers. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to hear on a mid-era Foo Fighters record, only without some of the nice flourishes and hooks. And that is the biggest problem here. There’s nothing really to latch on to. It goes by so quickly, which is fine, but there’s nothing memorable to make you want to play it again. The EP is not really dynamic at all. If they’re overzealous, it’s related to playing loud, then loud, still loud, oh yeah I’m sort of yelling.

Most people who don’t expect much other than, say, loudness and speed to their rock will honestly probably enjoy this. I can take it or leave it.