Long-time readers of this blog will know my affinity for this band. They have always encompassed what I love in music, darkness and sonic heaviness. They flirt with metal without abandoning their post-punk core. Just because I love them does not mean that I am going to go easy on them, in fact, it means I have higher expectations for them. These expectations are either met on their new ep or exceeded. They have managed to reach a stellar balance on the opening track to their new ep. There are both dark wave synths, combined with the heftier drive that marked their 2019 album "Rituals of Surrender" There is a pulsing groove that flows even amid its sluggish rumble. Maya's voice takes command of the song.
The second song is more organic and doom-oriented. The vocals are not as hook-oriented as the previous song, but still effective in how she cries out into the night. In these four songs, each seems to hone in on a different aspect of the band. "When Did You See Her Last". There is more of a post-punk feel to this one, though by the second verse they are bringing more meat to the guitars, creating a much heavier shift that ebbs back for the vocals. Maya's voice seems to continue to mature into deeper levels of power and emotion with each album. The London-based band reaffirms their ability to both mesmerize and pulverize in equal doses.
"Found Out" continues to take you further into the darkness, but with a more overdriven rock feel that gives room to breed the shadowy atmosphere. There are lyrically many references to things occurring after the Witching Hour, this is fitting given the nature of what they are painting with these songs. These are tales of urban misgivings. What goes on in ark alleys behind dive bars. The band's sense of songwriting has become more refined on this EP. The only problem is that it leaves me wanting more songs.I will give what we have been given here at 10 as they are clearly the masters of their gloomy sonic domain here, and I can only hope they get more of the recognition they deserve. If you are a fan of doom, goth, or post-punk this album is a must.
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