I was a big fan of the band's 2020 album "Flaw". This ep carries the kind of raw empty longing that album did, but finds them drifting in a more shoe gazing direction. The guitar lays back rather than really attacking. Which I am fine with if it is giving Michelle Malley more room to flex her pipes in this manner. Two of the songs on this EP were released as singles, but they are new to me, as this fell off my radar for some reason. "Vanish" is a little more delicate with her voice shifting into a more ethereal breathiness. In the song's final minutes the rest of the band converges to pack a sonic punch, but not enough crunch to pull them from their shoegazing, which I am fine with.
Her lyrics stand out on "Ricochet" as she asks someone about how they are drinking their life away. A subject most band's who just alcohol sales men between songs, do not seem to want to acknowledge. This song has a heavier dynamic, perhaps heavy in an emotional way more than it is metal. "Soft" hovers in an atmosphere so intangible, it floats but never lands. Which would work better in the context of a full album where the following song could provide more of a dynamic response.If they ended a full length with this then it would feel more like an outro, but when you are releasing an ep, then every song has to count.
Then main problem with this is that there are only four songs, so it leaves you wanting more. The first three songs find the band stepping from doom into a more shoe-gazing direction which feels like a natural prgression. The last song also adhere's to it but as stated earlier could use more of a backbone rather than just coating on clouds. That said this is still wonderful music, even the last song is great, but given the context it's being released in could have stood to waited for the full length. This came out in May with zero fanfar so glad I am able to catch up with this one. It's dark enough for the fall fading into winter for sure. I will give it a 9.
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