FiveSidedDice Turns Pain and Resilience Into Punk Energy on Kintsugi

There is something immediately appealing about Kintsugi, the latest EP from South African multi-genre project FiveSidedDice. It is short, energetic, and doesn’t waste time getting to the point. The project opens with a burst of punk rock intensity before gradually becoming more reflective, creating a surprisingly emotional journey across its songs.

Written, composed, and produced entirely by Roscoe Nefdt, Kintsugi draws heavily from melodic punk and pop punk while allowing space for post-rock, progressive rock, folk, and acoustic influences. For me, that variety is one of the EP’s biggest strengths. The first three tracks carry the urgency and attitude associated with bands such as Sum 41, The Distillers, Goldfinger, No Use For a Name, and Senses Fail, but the project never stays in one place for too long.

The opening track, “Misery,” makes the strongest first impression. It begins with a powerful drum fill before moving into a haunting harmonic-minor guitar riff and a fast-moving bassline. The energy is immediate, establishing a sense of urgency that carries through much of the EP. There is a rawness to the performance that suits the project’s punk influences, while the production gives the guitars enough space to create the large wall of sound Roscoe was aiming for.

Then comes “The Angel Number,” an instrumental interlude influenced by post-rock and progressive rock. Its presence helps create an important transition within the EP, slowing the momentum before the closing track arrives.

That closing track, “Look Down,” is where Kintsugi reveals its softer side. Stripped back and melancholic, it feels almost like the emotional aftermath of everything that came before it. The acoustic guitar was double-tracked using both microphone and direct input, creating a fuller sound while keeping the performance intimate. I think this contrast works particularly well because it prevents the EP from becoming a continuous wall of punk energy.

The title Kintsugi comes from the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery, an idea that reflects the project’s central message: things can become stronger, more refined, and more beautiful after being broken and repaired. That idea applies not only to individuals but also to friendships, relationships, and other human connections.

There is also a personal story behind the EP’s final form. The decision to end the project with Look Down came together during a stay at Nature’s Valley in South Africa, where Roscoe and Twiza and Undead Generation drummer Liaan Badenhorst worked on the instrumentation during a sunset. That moment helped clarify what the EP needed to become.

Recorded at Roscoe’s FiveSidedRecords home studio in Gqeberha across 2025 and early 2026, Kintsugi feels like exactly what FiveSidedDice promises: a personal diary translated into sound. It turns frustration, sadness, love, existential dread, and resilience into something energetic enough to move with, but personal enough to sit with afterward.

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