A youthful band that’s beginning to pick up some steam, Glaswegian post-punk outfit Bite show a great deal of promise on their debut EP Parasite.

The opening title track, ‘Parasite’, is rooted in jagged krautrock and hasthe post-punk fierceness of Joy Division’s early work or Gang of Four along with a smattering of latter-day Wire psychedelia. Its ominous intro and slow build-up to its chorus make it a great opener to the EP, giving an introduction to what the listener has in store.

The more upbeat, synth-led ‘Rub It In’ takes a poppier approach, playing out like a particularly sinister Stranglers track. It moves away from ‘Parasite’ and its ominousness, keeping things interesting.

‘Attachments’ is more similar to the title track than ‘Rub It In’, but keeps the high tempo of the latter as opposed to the slower, creeping nature of the title track. It’s an energetic track despite Bite’s gloomy influence; there are touches of gothic and indsutrial tinged post-punk such as The Cure and Killing Joke on this track and throughout the EP.

‘What Were You Thinking?’ shows a larger krautrock influence within it than anywhere else in the EP, with its jagged, looped guitars taking a back seat to the ever-present menacing synth. Despite this, like the previous track, it still maintains Bite’s astute punk sensibility and doesn’t foray into gloominess.

 ‘Black Saturday’ is the least engaging track on the album, lacking any defining aspect that would make it stand out from the rest of the songs yet not to the detriment of the EP’s overall charm.

Closing track ‘Year of the Superbadger’ opens with an unexpected funk bass riff before launching into a clattering musical assault that’s over in less than two minutes.

 Parasite is an overall promising debut from Bite, with whatever lack of originality there may be with the band taking clear influence from older bands made up for by solid song writing ability. The EP  manages to sound both dark and upbeat and shows a great deal of hope for future releases.