Review / 200 Words Or Less
Higher Giant
The First Five

Runner Up (2009) Michael

Higher Giant – The First Five cover artwork
Higher Giant – The First Five — Runner Up, 2009

Kid Dynamite. Grey Area. Paint it Black. Lifetime. Warzone. Yeah, these guys were in more than just a few quality bands over the past years. But this is something new, and Higher Giant brings forth their debut 7", a five-song offering of melodic punk.

On these five songs the band delves in a melodic punk sound akin to The Bouncing Souls and Bad Religion. The songs are definitely upbeat and poppy - though they often give off a more pop rock than punk vibe. Even after several listens I can't help but feel unimpressed here. The songs are okay but I can't recall any specific details of them.

Higher Giant is decent for what they do, I'm not a huge fan of this style of melodic pop rock though, and so it might be unfair for me to judge. Fans will be excited to know the band is already going to release another 7" later this Summer.

5.5 / 10Michael • July 29, 2009

Higher Giant – The First Five cover artwork
Higher Giant – The First Five — Runner Up, 2009

Related news

Black Numbers To Release Higher Giant 7"

Posted in Records on July 7, 2009

Higher Giant Post New Songs

Posted in MP3s on October 30, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

Lethal Limits

Elevate EP
GhettoBlaster Productions (2025)

As far as I can gather Jeff Corso has been playing in bands in the Bay Area for the past 20 years but seems like exclusively hardcore until now. Full disclosure: I’m only reviewing this because Aesop from Hickey plays drums. That said, I generally only review stuff I like, so go figure. This doesn’t sound like Hickey but since … Read more

Dealbreaker

New Sides
Late Again Records, Toll Free Records (2026)

Dealbreaker popped onto my radar as part of a package tour with Pro Wrestling, who cold called me with a Penske File namedrop. This story is a bit of a Canadian roundabout, but their methodology worked: I listened to their music and dug it enough to review it. And I'm mentioning it because, at times, Dealbreaker reminds me of The … Read more

The Library Is On Fire

Degeneration Elegies
The Abyss, Ltd. (2026)

There’s a certain kind of band that never quite fits the moment they arrive in. Sometimes too jagged for one scene, too melodic for another. The Library Is On Fire were one of those bands in the early 2000s, hovering somewhere between indie-punk urgency and power-pop instinct without fully settling into either. On Degeneration Elegies, their first full-length in over … Read more