Covered in tape - Tape Runs Out

I had no idea what to expect when I found this CD with a "please take one" sign on it at the Indigo Cafe, especially as freebie albums can always be such a risk. The cover didn't give away much, other than an attempt at being mysterious, so I will be honest and say it sat on my 'listen to when possible' shelf for a month or so. Now that I have finally got around to listening to it I'm happy to report that it's a quirky collection of four rather excellent uplifting indie tracks, surrounded by 3 curious soundscape. The songs are light, crisp, and relaxed whilst engaging; the sort of thing you would love to hear on the stereo whilst enjoying a carefree day of summer with some friends. There is a lot going on in each track, with a nice variety of instruments that doesn't get clogged up due to bad production or sound too busy. Everything is simply doing exactly what is needed, so nothing gets in the way of itself or ends up sounding like something was thrown in just to sound cleve. Whilst keeping with the main sound of the band the soundscapes are a little less coherent (by design) and have some stop-start tape effects which give an almost glitchy feel to them. I doubt you will hate them, as they are interesting and a good listen, I just don't think they will be as loved as the central tracks.

All in all it was a jolly good use of the 23 minutes that the EP runs for and I would encourage people to go to the band's soundcloud to try it, and the rest of their stuff, out. I would also suggest keeping an eye out for them live as the tunes sound like they could sound rather great played in person. The single, only, thing I can say bad about it is that it was a free promotional offering which didn't have a link to any of the band's online presence.