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Seasons are a brand new band from Bedfordshire, who seem to be making a bit of a splash in a very short space of time. They have only been together for five months, but already there is a buzz building around them, and rightly so! For me, these guys encompass all I love about how music is viewed and played by musicians these days. They combine musical styles from indie pop to hard metal, cherrypicking the best bits, and combining them with style and skill. Their own PR compare them to Young Guns and Mallory Knox, which I can see, but I feel that Seasons are not so American indie rock, they have a harder edge to them, more power and passion than pop.
We open things up with ‘Sailed Ships’. As soon as the guitar intro starts, you know there is going to be energy. From the first angst-ridden vocal line, you know there is going to be passion, and you are not going to be disappointed in either department. Muse come to mind, but only as a reference point for passion levels and style of delivery. The vocals of Grant Tuff are crystal clear, powerful, and (that word again) passionate. I know I keep saying it but ‘passion’ is a very good word to describe Seasons, and a lot of that comes from the vocal delivery. The guitar work of Matt and Steve is superb. It is understated in its delivery, but oh-so important to the end result. There are no unnecessary notes. Everything has a place and a purpose, and is played with skill and finesse. After the first chorus, there is a small guitar solo that consists of a grand total of six notes, but they are the right six notes, so why complicate things? The song, as a whole, is extremely well written with a clever structure, verses that build, and anthem chorus. A good start then!
‘Rumours’ carries on where we left off, but gives us even more dynamic between the verse and chorus, while showing a little more melodic emphasis. Again, some superb guitars start us off, but once we get into the verse, I take more of an interest with the clever stuff going on between the bass and drums. Brad and Antony do a superb job, with some clever counter rythms, whilst keeping things nice and tight.
‘Seven Years’ takes things in a slightly different direction, an altogether more melodic, dare I say it, pop rock direction. More of an anthemic ballad that retains the passionate vocals, but with a much more smoothly polished musical approach. Now I can hear the ‘Mallory Knox’ influences! The track is well written and well performed, but of the four on this EP, in my opinion, this is the one that lacks a little edge. It’s all a bit too safe for my liking.
‘The Runaway’, however gets us right back on track. The intro gives a hint of what is to come. Despite the slightly slower pace, the choruses are delivered with all the power and promise of the first two tracks, maybe if not with quite the same level of passion, which kind of leads me nicely to my conclusions. First up, I really enjoyed the release. The guys are a talented bunch, and perform well together. The first two tracks really worked for me. They were rockin, passionate, well written, and well performed. They ticked all the boxes, and made me want to see the band live. The last two tracks are still good songs, but just dipped into a world of too much pop and polish for my liking, and seemed to lack the edge I was experiencing before, and had hoped would flow through the whole release. These are only my personal preferences, and despite them, I feel Seasons are destined for greater things. I feel in a live situation, however, I would be made to eat my words.
Review Simon Larkin
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