Nothing says "review this" more, than a spot of trepidation...and by that I mean, when an EPK literally opens up with; "Taking musical inspiration from so many broad and distinct outlets and squeezing it all into one neat four-piece package can sometimes be a recipe for disaster."...it's like you're trying to butter me up for something truly horrific...like someone going on Dragon's Den purely to troll (the Reverse Microwave from Haggard anyone?)...part of me even expects to be Rick-rolled...nevertheless, I continue on and discover "Translucent Fears", the debut EP from Nottingham based 4-piece THE SPECIES. Be afraid...or?
We kick off with "Aether" and we're immediately hit with a sludgy barrage of no nonsense rock 'n' roll riffs, it's fast paced and really energetic and genuinely catches your ear, before Gary Nelson chips in with his vocals and the whole thing becomes this, dark, angry indie-inspired monster. It's got the angst within its tuning, it's distortion but it's also got a melancholy to it, there's a sorry drawl in places resembling everyone from FRANZ FERDINAND to MUSE and it's an interesting start.
"Peep Show" continues on and here we have a short, scruffy dose of indie rock resembling an ARCTIC MONKEYS demo...initially at least. It becomes terribly messy in parts, wailing guitars fuel what you think is a solo, bordering on MISFITS-era dark punk and despite its brief play-time, it asks the more questions than supplies answers. "Cause And Effect" tones things down, and its here that for the most part, it all falls into place, the tone is on the verge of being creepy, as is the the same as closing track "Broken Glass"...its like...for want of a better explanation, imagine indie-rock for a haunted house attraction. It's got that extra something to it's core sound, it plays on it's darkness, it's deep and musically just has subtle spooky elements to it, allowing for an interesting listen.
When you think about the notion that, there were so many broad and distinct inspirations for this record, you can sort of see why they would prepare you in such a way. Yes there's primarily a target audience of indie-rockers but you have to give them credit, they've incorporated a touch of rock 'n' roll, a little punk pick-me-up, an old-school alt. rock darkness and they have mixed it up relatively well. The four tracks on offer could quite easily be the ALPHA stage, or BETA even depending on their goals, but this EP is clearly work in progress. They've put on solid, entertaining live shows, dangerous even...but the record you sell needs to put asses on seats at live shows...huge potential here but work in progress, this species is still evolving. [5]
We kick off with "Aether" and we're immediately hit with a sludgy barrage of no nonsense rock 'n' roll riffs, it's fast paced and really energetic and genuinely catches your ear, before Gary Nelson chips in with his vocals and the whole thing becomes this, dark, angry indie-inspired monster. It's got the angst within its tuning, it's distortion but it's also got a melancholy to it, there's a sorry drawl in places resembling everyone from FRANZ FERDINAND to MUSE and it's an interesting start.
"Peep Show" continues on and here we have a short, scruffy dose of indie rock resembling an ARCTIC MONKEYS demo...initially at least. It becomes terribly messy in parts, wailing guitars fuel what you think is a solo, bordering on MISFITS-era dark punk and despite its brief play-time, it asks the more questions than supplies answers. "Cause And Effect" tones things down, and its here that for the most part, it all falls into place, the tone is on the verge of being creepy, as is the the same as closing track "Broken Glass"...its like...for want of a better explanation, imagine indie-rock for a haunted house attraction. It's got that extra something to it's core sound, it plays on it's darkness, it's deep and musically just has subtle spooky elements to it, allowing for an interesting listen.
When you think about the notion that, there were so many broad and distinct inspirations for this record, you can sort of see why they would prepare you in such a way. Yes there's primarily a target audience of indie-rockers but you have to give them credit, they've incorporated a touch of rock 'n' roll, a little punk pick-me-up, an old-school alt. rock darkness and they have mixed it up relatively well. The four tracks on offer could quite easily be the ALPHA stage, or BETA even depending on their goals, but this EP is clearly work in progress. They've put on solid, entertaining live shows, dangerous even...but the record you sell needs to put asses on seats at live shows...huge potential here but work in progress, this species is still evolving. [5]
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