From the first rustling of duelling acoustic and electric guitars, the Listeners' EP is an aural assault - at times subtle yet beguiling, at others fiercely aggressive. The band seem to operate on two separate levels entirely - the muted introversion of early Modest Mouse and The Shins, and the sonic ferocity of Sons and Daughters and Howling Bells - yet it's when these paths cross that this EP's best moments are found; opener 'Love, It Stays the Same' sets the tone, building from a galloping Western introduction and ending as a pounding paean to liberty, while sprawling centerpiece 'Deadbeat' is gut-wrenching hate mail from a PJ Harvey fronted Archie Bronson Outfit. Vocalist Emma's intense yet insightful musings are the glue of the EP - guitarist Robert's searing accompaniments would, without the soaring poetics they so thrillingly compliment, be little more than redundant and so the EP's throughout threatened by its understated nature - tracks like 'Beyond Forgiveness' build almost to the point of no return, only to be cut short by a pretty cruel ban of the grandiose climaxes they so clearly warrant. For now we'll make do, but the sooner we get the fist-in-the-air moments we know they're capable of, the better.
The Listeners EP is out now and is available on iTunes.
The Listeners EP is out now and is available on iTunes.
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