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Hey Sorry State fam! Hope you’re having a fantastic week! Just wanted to quickly say thanks for your overall rad-ness, your kind words, and continued support. We appreciate you and we think you’re the coolest. Ok let’s go….
My pick this week is the new EP (Fantasy) by the English post-punk band, Es. This is their third release over seven years, but this is the first time I’ve heard them. Daniel said he really liked the EP too, so we got a grip for the store. It’s a good-looking EP. A beautiful turquoise/aqua (what’s the difference?) with a bright green sleeve (which compliments the vinyl color so well), and a good sized lyric sheet insert.
Aesthetics aside, it sounds really cool. Broadly, the sound is mid-tempo gothy synth punk with doomy, yet lovely, vocals. The crazy part is they don’t have a guitarist. Even crazier, I didn’t even notice until a few spins later when someone told me. It’s only four tracks, and while that makes for a short EP, the songs are very satisfying and ordered in a thoughtful way. Upon first listen I will admit that it sounded a little samesy to me. Not a bad thing, as I happen to like the style so why not hear more of it? But after a few listens I realized I rushed to judgement. More on that later.
The opener, Emergency, sounds like a period piece, and that period would be the early to mid-eighties. It’s a likable and sensible opener. It doesn’t blow you away, but it still makes sure you aren’t going anywhere. It worked, because here I am writing about the EP for my staff pick.
After the first track you can throw the sensibilities out the window because the song Too Late really struts its stuff. The crunchy bass parts sound great with the high-pitched synth nuggets. The latter sounds are reminiscent of an 80s video game, and lean a little egg punk. It’s like a demented pop song.
The song Unreal is kind of like the first track stylistically, but it’s cleaner, faster, and it just gets to the point quicker. It has a bigger chorus. The kind of simple and catchy chorus that gets stuck in your head.
Swallowed Whole closes out the album. It’s faster, more urgent, and the rhythm section is punchier and more apparent than previous tracks. It feels like the culmination of the prior three tracks.
It sounds like the songs build on one another. Not necessarily in a linear fashion, but in some sort of interconnected way. Each track has its core sound or style and also incorporates the coolest features of the other tracks, but in a subtle way. That might not make sense. I’m probably reading too far into it, but I think you have to read further into it to notice the nuances that make the record more unique and intentional than you may give it credit for.
Anyway, give it a go!
Until we meet again.
Thanks,
Angela