Between Waves are gearing up to release their debut EP Paper Chain and for a first release it is a developed and well-constructed listen, however it does play as a very safe release. There’s no shame in this, but at times it does feel like Between Waves are capable of more than they have done with Paper Chain.
Paper Chain is easy on the ears and is a smooth and relaxed listen, with Between Waves delivering a gentle and controlled piece as the EP progresses. The vocals have a wonderful soft tone to them which lends itself well to the music and there’s a lot of emotion to them. The songs are fairly simplistic but they don’t need complexity; everything is laid bare instead and it makes for a more rewarding listen as a result.
The only real problem is that there’s nothing about the music that sets Between Waves apart from the crowd. It’s a nice listen, there’s no doubting that, but it does feel that Between Waves needs to experiment a tad more in order to create something that has their own stamp on it.
Despite this, as a first release it is certainly nothing to be sniffed at and there’s a lot of potential for Between Waves to grow and find themselves as a band. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.
6.5/10
