Crafty Fuzz are one of the newer bands on the Irish music scene. Formed in 2012, this year has seen the release of their début EP. The 6 track release is a musical puzzlement and perhaps the band could have worked on their sound before immortalising it in the shape of an EP. Lead vocalist Babz Allen’s voice is not fitting for this band’s style of music. It creates a try-hard atmosphere that leaves the majority of the tracks sounding quite forced and far from enjoyable.

Without getting bogged down in the negatives, Struggle Struggle is the one song that gives insight into this band’s potential. The bass line is catchy and the guitar licks are smooth, working well with Allen’s slick and funky voice. Allen is an impressive vocalist; she has that cool chick thing down to a tee and it is wonderful to hear how well her vocals work with the instrumentals in this track. Once in a Blue Moon  is a song which also stands out among the rest. Again, the way in which Allen’s vocals harmonise with the music is evident and it is what ultimately sells the song.

Although there are some positives, the fact that Allen sounds as though she is singing with the wrong band is quite troublesome. This is most apparent in Unknown. There is an unnaturalness present in this number, in particular as Allen’s voice appears to be straining to keep within the restraints of the track. With a rather sweeping soft-rock sound, the song is rendered forgettable.  It seems as though the band are trudging through a track that was handed to them. If a band sounds uninspired, the listener can’t be expected to be stimulated.

Crafty Fuzz certainly has the potential to be a memorable, outstanding band but that isn’t reflected in their self-titled EP. With small glimmers of what they can do in the form of Struggle Struggle and Once in a Blue Moon, the EP is hard to enjoy. The  possibilities are boundless for this band, and they do have a sound of their own lurking under the generic rock resonance. It is simply a matter of discovering what works for them.