Bristolian Indie hopefuls hint at bigger things
Having been together just a year, Bristol’s The Lasting Days are taking sizeable steps already and debut with this promising 5 track EP
“Little Fish” opens the account with glacial, piano-led indie anthemics, which grow into the atmospheric meandering of early Elbow, or perhaps a more organic-sounding Radiohead. Many other bands do this sort of thing just as well but it has something, a mood that is immediately enticing. But then, to some surprise, much of the remaining material opts for a more sparse, acoustic and strangely rootsy approach with harmonicas and violins upfront, all accompanied by politely introspective vocals from Richard Smith. “Seven Minutes” may be what Bloc Party unplugged at a sixth-form barn dance may sound like, whilst “The Decline of Magic” sulks with a tense but gentle grace. Closer “Black Sun” amps up the intensity and the pace with some impassioned vocal howls, agitating itself into an almost-exciting petulant strop in the final minute before reigning itself in, when perhaps it should have exploded wonderfully and gone to hell.
Displaying a maturity and crafted know-how that belies their short existence, “The Lasting Days” is a promising display and certainly a name to watch out for.