GLASGOW’S COUNT THE DAYS UNLEASH LIVE ENERGY ON DEBUT EP
EP REVIEW | COUNT THE DAYS – BACKS AGAINST THE WALL by Anne Kelly
Glasgow bands are always up there with the most enthusiastic, thrilling new live acts on the entire UK scene. Not through chance, nor even always through being the best, but through pure unadulterated energy; the sort of energy that only comes from being part of the other side of the barrier. The ones who show up every other week to fill the room, to support the rising acts, to encourage and cheer on, making the bands better every single show. Glasgow newbies Count The Days have that energy written all over them.
Cutting their teeth on stage throughout 2025, Count The Days have been steadily climbing the ranks through high-profile support slots for Glasgow favourites like Gallus, Martha May & The Mondays, and One Nine Eight. Frontman Div Walls even shared a stage with Dead Pony at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom during Tenement Trail in October for a stupendous cover of Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’.
As the band prepared to take on their biggest headline moment yet at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut this week, Count The Days also dropped their debut EP Back’s Against The Wall. A powerful statement of intent, the release is four gritty, high-octane tracks (plus an acoustic rendition) that perfectly capture the band’s raw pace and direction.
Opening track ‘Above You’ serves as the perfect introduction to Count The Days. Driven by heavy, hook laden riffs, the track drips with a raw energy that never lets up. The anthemic “I’m not gonna back down” chants build a mounting tension that explodes as the chorus hits. Lyrically, it’s pure, abrasive punk delivered with a thick Scottish dialect. Steering towards a raw delivery over polished, the track is better for it – regardless of any “technical” ability, the bands presence and conviction are felt in every beat.
‘Springbank Road’ flips the pace running on it’s head, so much so that you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a different band. Leaning heavily into textbook pop-punk territory, the track echoes the power melodies of The Offspring’s ‘I Want You Bad’ during its chorus. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to wear your influences on your sleeve, but ultimately it lacks originality as a result. Yet, it still hits with full throttle enthusiasm, and the track finds its heart in its lyrics, which feel like a sentimental nod to the band’s Glasgow roots.
‘Kings and Queens’ makes a return back to heavier ground by opening with a high-throttle, metalcore-inspired riff that just make you want to thrash about. The track features a Biffy Clyro-inspired hook, but swaps the polished anthems for a raw, punk-driven energy that helps keep it grounded to their own style. Despite its sub-three-minute runtime, the track still packs a lot in, and structurally impressive too. The verses are short, snappy and earworming, while the rapid-fire key changes in the bridge heighten the tension to keep it interesting.
Track four ‘Get Up’ is the undisputed heavy hitter of Backs Against The Wall. It captures Count The Days at their absolute best, blending top-tier production with the band’s signature grit and attitude. As a Millennial, the early noughties nu-metal vibes hit all the right nostalgic notes. Those breakdowns are absolute monsters and I can only imagine the chaos that breaks loose in the pit when they play this live.
The EP closes with a bare-bones, acoustic rendition of the already played ‘Springburn Road’, rather than an another burst of energy. It’s a nice change of pace to hear the band in stripped back setting – just a voice and a guitar – but doesn’t offer enough new perspective to feel necessary. It’s a sweet addition for fans, but the record wouldn’t have suffered without it.
There is no doubt that Count The Days has the fire and the ideas to go far, but Backs Against The Wall feels a bit disjointed. As individual songs, they’re very strong, but as an EP, the flow isn’t quite there yet. The band seems to be at a crossroads, trying on different styles to see what fits. Personally, I feel that the heavier, nu-metal-meets-punk tracks are where they truly find their voice. You can feel the live energy vibrating through those notes. If they can commit to that specific lane and fine-tune that aggression, they’ll be unstoppable.
Backs Against The Wall by Count The Days is out now and you can listen on your preferred streaming service here
