Monday, January 30, 2017

withdrawal - EP



Jason (bass/vocals) of the now-defunct withdrawal sent me an email telling me about an EP they mastered and "released" in June 2016, featuring six songs that showcase more of the direction the band was heading in before disbanding.  

Compared to their full length ('The Perfectionist Blacklist'), these tracks are more mellow, highlighting a side of the band that was seldom heard, though they still pack an occasional jab with the punchy vocals that permeated the LP.  My personal favorite and in my opinion best blending of these two styles is the track "The Spies of the World", which features stylish and subdued verses that give way to anthemic choruses.  The instrumentation is solid on these throughout, with my only semi-gripe being a vocal phrase on one of the tracks that sounds ripped line for line from an old Weezer track (you'll probably know it when you hear it), whether intentionally or not.  Either way I appreciate Jason passing these along to me and you, as the good far outweighs the bad.