By John Bedard
I don’t know why I was so surprised that this was instrumental but it had never crossed my mind when I was handed the EP. What we have here is a good old fashion stoner rock. It is wonderfully complex and even though it has no real lyrics, other than a couple of spoken words on track four, each song absolutely still tells you a story. Each track evolves guiding you on an emotional journey that you won’t regret.
Listening to this EP kept bringing to mind Jimi Hendrix. Maybe not as guitar forward but there is a lot of similarities in the way the songs are constructed and the emotion they convey. I always thought a lot of Hendrix’s song had a feeling like they were not really rehearsed but instead, they feel like he and his band had a really good jam session on the weekend, and someone just happened to record it. There is that same feeling here. It sounds so effortless as if the EP was recorded without there knowing and they were just there to have a good time. The first four tracks really reflect this, maybe with a somewhat heavier tone than Hendrix so there is probably a better comparison that could be drawn but once Hendrix was in my mind it was stuck there. If a band ever makes you think of Hendrix that is never a bad thing.
The fifth and final track, ‘Giusquiamo Slow Drink’, really stands out. It is very odd after everything we have heard before. There is an unexpected sharp turn out of stoner rock and into ambient psychedelic that I did not see coming. It really does not fit but yet, still seems to work. It makes for a nice slowdown at the end of the EP that I like. I do not think it would have been missed but it is nice to have. I could see them doing a whole album in this style as maybe a side project.
My biggest complaint is the length of the EP. I would have loved a full-length album of this. It is packed with emotion and talent that ends far too quickly. Truly a pleasure to sit back and listen with a beer or bourbon or just cruising down the road when you have nowhere to go but are just enjoying the drive. I absolutely recommend this EP; it is a good old fashioned good time record. I really want more.
- ‘Possessed By Rancho’ is released on 2 August. You can get your copy HERE.
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