Los Angeles punk rock band LA Crimes packs a punch with its new EP. Boasting five songs in just over fifteen minutes, the band takes us through a journey of rough pasts, redemption, heartbreak, and death. The first track, “Pirate’s Brawl,” is a fantastic opener. Fast with a jaunty little dip in the middle that still keeps its edge. If an opening song is supposed to be a thesis of an album, this song passes with flying colors. It puts everything on front street and lures you in for more. While the acoustic guitar in the opening bars of “Dark Side of the Road” threw me off a bit it ends up a nice addition to the song. These first two songs definitely keep that pirate theme, with their group background vocals that should be sung in a tavern after fifteen beers. It’s two drinking songs, but tw...