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So, after the initial novelty of Netflix binge sessions wore off, what better way for a pair of musicians to survive lockdown than get into their home studio and record some new music. Verity and Alex White came up with an EP; ‘After The Storm’, and the limited first edition CD was so successful that it sold out. Fear not though, a fresh batch of “UNlimited” versions were cooked up and £5 gets you 4 tracks on a signed CD, and a rather nice hand-written postcard. Noice!
Four tracks of well written and well produced music that acts in a similar way to the four corners region of America, in the sense that several different genres meet in the middle. A little bit of pop, some indie, some electronica, and of course: rock. You would be hard pressed to come up with any “retro rock” tags though. Unless your idea of “retro” bypasses a few decades and lands at the feet of acts like Skunk Ananasie, Garbage and Feeder.
Unlike most “lockdown” releases, ‘After The Storm’ is not acoustic, which is nice. Lead single ‘Alibi’ launches the EP, and is an instant uptempo, earworm moment. Grunge filled riffs with some neat power melodies running in the background. Verity’s vocals are delicious, and the use of harmonies works perfectly. ‘Run For Cover’ is slower paced, with a Shirley Manson influence and some lovely gritty riffs. There’s loads going on throughout, including more vocal harmonies and some synth. Too many vocalists today go for the high notes, they overreach and scream, thus rendering the lyrics indecipherable… not with Verity White, though. The vocals are strong, clear, and fluid, as best exemplified on the standout moment on the EP; ‘The Ones You Left Behind’. Quite a California pop feel to this one, or maybe even The Bangles ‘Hazy Shade Of Winter’ updated for 2020? To these ears at least, yes. The layered vocal harmonies are executed perfectly amongst the crystal clear production. The stunning ‘Who I Am’ brings the EP to its conclusion, and like everything before it, the track is instantly memorable. The operatically layered vocals over the intro, the gradual, building guitar riffs that explode to life, the call-to-arms lyrics about accepting who you are and not apologising for it; a sublime few minutes.
‘After The Storm’ is something a little different from the norm. It’s fresh, vibrant and, considering how quickly it was put together, very slick. The EP was written and performed by Verity and Alex, with Alex handling production, mixing and mastering duties (proving that yes, men can multitask after all).
Purchase ‘After The Storm’ here.
Review – Dave
