A band’s EP can in many ways be the make or break moment for the entire project. It is much like the initial hook line of a book or screenplay, and if it doesn’t grab your attention from the start, it usually doesn’t hold it until the end. For the genre bending Bad Reed, prog-rock-alternative-soul style music is the name of the game. Dark and atmospheric, Bad Reed’s EP is going to create a buzz among fans of The Mars Volta, Portishead and any other listeners that like solid song writing and musicianship.
Opening with Slackjaw Romance you might accidently dismiss Bad Reed’s sound for something you might hear in a coffee shop, which this might be the case for this particular track, sounding like what you would get if you mixed City And Color with Paramore, but this is not the case for the next two.
Cassava is both a faster speed and a more devious track than the previous opener. The vocals move smoothly and perfectly in line with the creative guitar riff and off time tempo. The track is nothing short of an artist journey through an emotional and intellectual mind, it is single worthy and channels moments as unique as Coheed And Cambria. Cassava is a beautiful track that showcases just what type of interesting song writing Bad Reed is capable of.
The final track Punch It is thankfully more like Cassava and less like Slackjaw Romance. This isn’t to say that Slackjaw Romance wasn’t a solid track, but after hearing Cassava and Punch It, Slackjaw Romance just seems far too reserved for this band. Punch It has so much going on within its architecture that the song feels almost like controlled chaos, controlled epic chaos to be exact. Much like Cassava, Punch It is a devious journey into some eclectic musical landscapes.
On a final note, Bad Reed has created something special with their self titled EP, and as long as they are not instantly judged on the fluffy sound of Slackjaw Romance, they will no doubt gather many new fans with this incredible taste of great music to come.
8/10
