It's important to state that, despite the fact that the quality of this EP is excellent, it is, nevertheless, the sound of this band taking its first steps to what's going to be a glorious future, and to that end, it's stunning.
The band is a trio – drums, electric guitar and female singer also on electric guitar – unusual in itself, but wait till you hear them play. The CD starts with “Black Cat” where, with a burst of drumming followed by “foggy” electric guitar riffing, singer Katy comes in with a vocal that's like a more urgent, impassioned, almost angry, relation to the singer out of Edinburgh band Farewell Singapore. With a decidedly Scottish accented vocal, she delivers the lyrics in a highly charged yet emotive manner that spans the range of her voice and really provides you with a glorious focal point as this voice lifts the piece and drives it through. As she soars from verse to that urgent chorus, the band lurch forward amid jaunty riffing and crunchy rhythm work, before she heads into the next verse, at the end of which the band suddenly launch this heated, memorable riff that really catches fire and is as catchy as it is brief, providing a surge of adrenaline that contrasts neatly with the high-flying vocal and the lurching beats, as that riff surges towards the end of what's a truly electrifying song. After this there comes the five and a half minute “Away With The Green Fairies” which also features another impassioned vocal performance this time on a more mid-paced but no less strong a track complete with lurching rhythms, tumbling drums, jangly, ringing, riffing guitars as a largely lone lead and occasionally harmony-filled vocal winds itself into your heart, flying like an eagle, every bit as majestic and truly taking your breath away. The guitars follow suit over the hiss of the cymbals, dramatic drumming and an instrumental mid-section which twists and turns without losing any of its dynamics, effect or melody, before heading back into the song and flowing effortlessly forward to the chorus and hooks, cyclical and breathtaking to perfection, again like an even more urgent Farewell Singapore and every bit as quality.
The four minute “Scottish Weather” starts at a much faster pace with this hi-register guitar riff acting as lead as it flows back and forth over the driving rhythm section while the vocal just flows on top to perfection as band and singer ride headlong into a chorus that initially drops down before taking off like a rocket over the rapid-fire instrumental backing, the whole thing coming together superbly as the instrumental hook and the soaring verses carry you along in their wake towards that rising and falling memorable chorus as the song lifts off once again. The EP ends with the near five minute “My Jaw” which begins with militaristic drumming and emotive lone vocal over stuttering ringing guitar as the drums gather pace, the guitars surge and riff and the multi-tracked vocal lifts off with finesse and strength. Then the song drops back to the style in which it began, but the vocal strats to climb and become more urgent, more emotional as the pace hots up and the song catches fire, all the while the adrenaline quotient rising – but then it drops back to just lone lead chiming guitar and the slower military drums as the pace gather steam and the instrumnental work gathers strength before being joined by a powerfully delivered, impassioned wordless chorus from Katy, the band heating up as the pace quickens and this tornado of vocals and guitars and supercharged drumming drive the song onwards and upwards to a truly mighty breathtaking finale. It may be a demo, but it's stunning – the promise of a band that is going to break out big-time, and that's for sure.