Left and Right calm things down on new EP Pivot Foot; catch them tonight at Johnny Brenda’s

Philly punk four-piece Left and Right are good at multi-tasking. Instead of taking the traditional approach of releasing new music and then going on tour, the group just released their newest offering, Pivot Foot, today, while on tour. The timing does make sense, though, as the band is coming home tonight to play Johnny Brenda’s and celebrate their EP release.

Pivot Foot is the first release since the group’s acclaimed, communism-referencing 2014 record Five Year Plan. Over the course of the five-track EP, Left and Right demonstrate a considerable amount of versatility. There are still moments of loud, adrenaline-heavy shredding, but on tracks like “Next Winter” they often suddenly dissipate in favor of calmer guitar riffs that tiptoe into moody emo territory. That cool, reflective quality is the norm on Pivot Foot.

Perhaps the best indication of this sound is “Discretion,” the EP’s final track, which kicks off with only a catchy acoustic guitar riff and some quiet, reflective vocals (“I took a right / I took a picture / Crossed boundaries I could find”). Even as the song adds some drums and electric guitar frills on the edges, it never truly climaxes, feeling content, maybe even lethargic. It’s not exactly what you would expect from a self-described punk band, and it’s clear Left and Right recognizes this shift as a bit of an experiment. Indeed, the EP ends not with music, but with a simple question: “Any of that cool?”

Take a listen to “Discretion” below and catch Left and Right tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. Tickets available via the XPN Concert Calendar.