A Certain Ratio - ACR:EPR (EP) - Grey Vinyl

A Certain Ratio’s third EP of 2021 lands with the cool confidence of a group that knows exactly how their rhythms move a room. ACR:EPR closes the trilogy they cut for Mute that year, following the spark of ACR Loco in 2020, and it feels like the most club-honed of the set. The band’s core is intact and unmistakable. Donald Johnson’s drums stay tight and unhurried, Jez Kerr’s bass locks in with that rubbery glide they helped define, and Martin Moscrop’s guitar and trumpet throw sharp colors across the groove. It is the classic Manchester post‑punk funk blueprint, updated with the punch and clarity of the band’s current live form.

Context matters with A Certain Ratio. They came up on Factory Records, sharing stages and catalog numbers with Joy Division and New Order, and were early in fusing punk energy with New York disco, Latin percussion, and dub. That history runs through ACR:EPR, but the record isn’t nostalgic. The production is lean and modern. The drums sit front and center, dry and physical. Bass carries weight without fog. When trumpet arrives, it cuts like a spotlight, not a mist. You hear decades of instinct in small decisions, like when the guitar switches from clipped chanks to a shimmering line only for a bar, or when a conga pattern slips in and out of the pocket. They still prize space. That is what gives these tracks their snap.

Across the 2021 EP run, the group folded in newer voices alongside the core trio, notably vocalist Ellen Beth Abdi, and that sense of open-door collaboration lingers here even when the songs work more like rhythm studies. The vocals that do appear ride the beats like another percussive line, often chant-like, with hooks that stick without shouting. It suits the material. These are pieces built for movement. You can imagine the cuts sliding between boogie, electro, and dub in a DJ set without anyone reaching for their drink. That was always A Certain Ratio’s trick. The music feels artful and physical at the same time.

There is heart under the surface too. The EP trilogy arrived in the shadow of the loss of longtime collaborator Denise Johnson in 2020, and while ACR:EPR doesn’t dwell on grief, you can hear a kind of resolve in the way the band plays together. They push forward with gratitude and muscle. When a breakdown drops to drums and bass, then swells with hand percussion and trumpet, it registers like a quiet salute to the communal roots of their sound.

The mixes are strong on digital, but ACR:EPR vinyl is where these tracks really bloom. The kick drum thumps with a little extra air around it, hi‑hats tick cleanly, and the low end feels tactile. If you collect A Certain Ratio vinyl, this sits neatly beside ACR Loco and the earlier EPS while adding a different shade, closer to the floor, a bit sweatier. For crate diggers hunting for A Certain Ratio albums on vinyl, it is a quick sell. Three or four plays and you start planning where it fits in an evening. If you tend to buy A Certain Ratio records online, make a point to grab the 12‑inch while it is still easy to find.

Reception among fans has been warm, and it is easy to hear why. The EP format suits them. No filler, just focused ideas executed with veteran grace. The songs build patiently, drop into sweet spots, and step aside before they wear out their welcome. It also underlines how active and engaged the band remains. This isn’t a legacy act polishing old angles. It is a working group that still hears new possibilities in the conversation between bass, drums, and percussion.

If your shelves already hold ESG, Liquid Liquid, or early New Order, you know the lineage. ACR:EPR hits that same nerve but lands in the present. It is nimble, warm, and crafted by players who trust each other. That feeling carries. Whether you find it in a bin at a Melbourne record store or from a local shop shipping worldwide, this is a record that rewards a volume knob and a little floor space. Start with the ACR:EPR vinyl, then follow the thread through the 2021 trilogy and back through the catalog. Few bands have mapped this territory as well, and even fewer can still make it feel this fresh.