Random Records with Steve O

Wasted Potential - Living Up to the Name

Back in 2014 Wasted Potential released their self-titled EP. It was awesome. It was arguably the best twelve and a half minutes of music in 2014. But Phil wouldn’t let it on the bracket because it’s an EP, and you know, rules and stuff. Whatever, I still made sure to tell you how awesome it was (you can read that review here if you so please). After a couple years, another EP, a pair of splits, and some other random recordings, we now get their debut full length, the cheekily titled, Living Up to the Name. (Wasted Potential. Get it?) Rejoice! It’s time to celebrate, as Living Up to the Name gives us…, uh, almost 19 minutes of music. Well, they’re calling it a full-length, so it’s bracket worthy now.

And Living Up to the Name fucking rips. “Crusades” opens the record up with a bang, has a heavier feel than some of Wasted Potential’s other material, and has a fun woah section as things slow down, before a little bit of shred time. Since their debut EP Wasted Potential has learned that you don’t have to blaze through everything all the time—indeed, none of these songs go under the minute mark. The more mid-paced “Never Asked” totally has a sing-along vibe, and is pretty damn catchy. “East Enders” and especially “Turbo 90s” also hum along at a slower pace. They give the record the chance to breathe, and the transition from the blazers to these more relaxed numbers feels totally natural. None of these songs are longer than three minutes though, so this definitely isn’t going to be mistaken for a drone record. “Jazz Age” feels like one of the most spastic pieces in their catalog, while “Palm Mutes” maintains the breakneck pace from that debut EP. After a slow, heavy riffed build up, “Curt Murder Face Rip” absolutely, uh, rips. Some of these rapid-fire tracks feel heavier than their earlier material, like they’ve figured out the appropriate amount of crunch to put into these songs. Or they’re letting that metal influence creep in a little more. Danny Kidd’s vocals sound harsher and more aggressive here too, spitting a little more hot sauce on their pentagram pizzas. Closer “Weekend at Bernice’s” is one of the catchiest songs they’ve written. In the space of 19 minutes, we get spastic, heavy, and catchy as hell. In short, spinning Living Up to the Name is one of the best ways you can spend 19 minutes. Bravo dudes, looking forward to you getting down to the States one of these days.

Give Living Up to the Name a listen below. And follow along with Wasted Potential on Facebook.