On their latest EP, Forced Perspective, Cosmic Joke delivers a handful of gritty punk tracks that wear their influences on their sleeves—but the energy doesn’t always match the ambition. While there are moments of charm, groove, and raw emotion scattered throughout, the EP often struggles under the weight of its own repetition and flat pacing. What starts with promise slowly gets bogged down by familiar structures and underwhelming drumming, leaving a project that feels like it’s still finding its footing.

The opening track, “Five Years Later,” introduces the core sound: gritty vocals, distorted riffs, and a bass tone that hits deep. The drums are solid but a little too by-the-numbers, lacking the kind of punch needed to drive the song's heavier moments. As the track progresses, the mix feels a bit muffled—like the band is holding back instead of pushing forward. A nice buildup in the bass before the breakdown shows potential, and the backing screams bring some welcomed intensity, but the overall structure is repetitive and the payoff never fully lands.

“Forced Perspective” shifts gears slightly, with a smoother, almost beachy bass line that brings a playful twist to the EP’s otherwise gruff aesthetic. There’s a clear effort to blend melodic punk elements with a rawer sound, and the chorus does offer a lift from the plodding verses. Still, the drumwork feels uninspired—mechanical rather than dynamic—and that bleeds into the pacing of the song. Good backing vocals and a hint of skate punk flair in the mix help keep things alive, but the long, drawn-out structure makes the track feel longer than it is.

Things briefly pick up with “Quid Pro Quo.” Though the drumming here is sloppy, it’s at least faster, giving the song a welcome jolt of movement. The riffs hit a little harder, and the backing vocals once again do a lot of heavy lifting in keeping the energy up. Unfortunately, the song loses steam toward the end, with a lackluster back half that fades rather than explodes.

It’s not until “Complex Character Development” that the EP truly comes to life. This track has noticeably more punch—the riffs, bass, and drums all come together in a way that finally feels cohesive and urgent. The vocals are gritty and clear, channeling Bad Religion-style conviction with a modern punk sneer. There's real movement here, and by the end of the track, the band sounds energized and locked in. The final minute kicks things up a notch, making it easily the most engaging and complete song on the project.

The EP closes with a cover of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” which adds a raw punk twist to the iconic track. The bass and drums are low and steady, giving it a slow-burning feel. While it doesn’t quite reach the manic charisma of the original, the band injects some personality into the back half of the track, making it more than just a paint-by-numbers homage. Still, the same issue lingers: the pacing drags, and the energy doesn’t always match the mood they’re trying to create.

Across the EP, there’s a sense that Cosmic Joke knows what they want to be: a gritty, modern punk band with throwback influences and DIY energy. But to get there, they’ll need to tighten up the songwriting, inject more variation into their drum work, and trim the fat in song structures that tend to overstay their welcome. The raw materials are here—the bass tone is consistently strong, the vocals carry grit and heart, and the backing vocals show real personality. If they can channel the same energy found in “Complex Character Development” across a full project, they’ll be onto something worth hearing.