Singles + EPs

EP Review: Finch

[EP: Finch]
[Label: Unsigned]

Having gone through numerous record labels, a move towards a more experimental sound with their sophomore album, and an “indefinite” hiatus from which the band remerged after two years with a reunion tour, Finch recently announced a new album - an album that has since shrunk to an EP and is only available digitally or through Hot Topic.

So, taking all this into account you might be forgiven for expecting the band to roll out something second-rate that might shift a few units as a way of reintroducing themselves to the world. But, no, this four-track EP proves they haven’t forgotten how to compose memorable, well-structured music; riffs that send shivers up spines, drum patterns that force heads to nod, and lyrics that burn themselves across memories.

The track here that delivers all this is the shuddering brain-melter, ‘Chinese Organ Thieves’, with it’s barrage of pistoning drums, a 70s monster Top Of The Pops guitar lick, and a lyrical hook of “take cover, run as fast as you can, as fast as you can.” On top of this, there’s the clever multi-layered structure where soft drop-downs take you into hushed twinkling before big-hitting drums drag you back into the sonic wash - and no matter how many times you hear the strange white noise of voices, feedback and chanting at the end, it still alarms and delights in equal measure.

What comes before it is a bit hit and miss; never quite achieving the same high. ’Daylight’ revels in Nate Barcalow’s emotive, rough to smooth vocal exhortations but the band never find anything thrilling enough to accompany it, whilst ‘Famine Or Disease’ has the spitting guitars and punk attitude of their early work without quite finding a comfortable rhythm or memorable soundbite. Finally, the curious ’From Hell’ refuses to stop bubbling and settle down but still bludgeons in the places where Barcalow reveals his throat-splitting roar or drummer Marcogliese loosens up and lets rip.

So, the real question here is whether one corker to every three filler tracks is an acceptable ratio or not. Clearly, by producing something far less controversially alternate, Finch appear to be making moves in the right direction but there are still some things that need refining. Maybe this second attempt on their musical journey won’t have so many pitfalls for them - we can but hope.

For fans of: Taking Back Sunday, Silverstein, Funeral For A Friend

Band Link:
Finch

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