Gel are back at it again with this new ep “persona” shortly after releasing their big album “only constant” last year, and this little ep does try to carve out its own identity from its older sibling. The band has been able to create some more streamlined songs that feel more polished and expand on their unique punk sound. The songs feel more groovy thanks to the drums and take a lot of influence from 90s alt music with how the guitars sound. The drums are the lifeblood of this band and really give the band its unique style with how deep the drums sound and how the drummer can uniquely incorporate the cymbals and drum fills to create some interesting drum patterns. They just infect you with their groove and make you want to bob your head without even realizing it. The guitars and bass have a more heavy tuning here, so the songs have a nice gritty feel to them. The riffing department isn’t doing anything super technical and goes with the less is more route, so you get some simple playing that packs a really punch in terms of making you feel the music. The lyrics are well written as well and sound really catchy, so they are easy to sing along to. The vocals have less of their usual husky sound to them but feel more refined with these new songs. The only issue that I came across was the production. At times the mix on some of the songs was a bit too low on vocals and guitars, so it felt like they were drowned out a bit. Gel is still out here making songs for the freaks and then some.