Creating a maze of intrigue and diversity smothered in a web of unpredictable imagination UK outfit Siblings Of Us offer up their new release. Any sound and encounter which refuses to be pigeonholed provides an instinctive lure and without doubt the Bristol trio and their Gargantua EP defies any attempt to pin them down as essences from synth and progressive rock entangle with elements of indie, new wave, and plenty more. It makes for an ear enticing proposition which admittedly left us a little bewildered, slightly unsure occasionally and thoroughly pleasured.
Emerging in 2016, Siblings Of Us consists of Fonzy Armour (vocals, guitar, synth), Zack Reed (vocals, synth), and Ellie Daymond (drums). Since venturing forth, the band has released two EPs, a couple of singles and a threesome of videos, all luring greater attention and new waves of fans. Gargantua is sure to continue the trend, its four tracks all providing a rich kaleidoscope of adventure with the conspiracy of a puzzle.
Gargantua opens up with Pizza Liza where synths immediately create a spirally coaxing before swinging rhythms and melodic heat accompanies the song’s emerging muscular presence. There is a natural catchiness to the weight though, synths all the while creating a bubbling sea of melodic intimation and temptation and at times adding a scent of The Stranglers’ Dave Greenfield to the fun. We will admit that the falsetto vocals of the band, a proposition something akin to The Bee Gees woozy after having their unmentionables firmly squeezed, was the one element personal tastes laboured with but certainly they are no weakness in the band or its sound especially as they add a touch of organic energy and a great emotional ‘desperation’ to things.
The following Chicago Glass Twins similarly strolls in with its old rock ‘n’ roll inclinations to the fore, synths and vocals flirting with ears as they ride the intrusive rhythmic tide craftily led by Daymond. Detours and suggestive interludes accompany the track’s bold trail of enterprise, every moment adding to its captivation as it outshines its predecessor before Breed & Company repeats the success as it flows into a calm, reflective mood and melodic croon. It too carries an intensity which erupts with Muse meets Axis Mundi imagination, the song bursting with volatility to fine effect.
The EP closes up with A Gang Called Wonder, a slice of infection loaded synthwave with predatory instincts and just a shade of mania to its intent. The track epitomises the whole EP; a fascinating and thoroughly magnetic affair that just demands attention.
By the record, the Sibling Of Us sound has evolved with eager adventure, Gargantua another highly enjoyable twist in its journey; a pleasure ensuring their next offering is going to be highly anticipated.
Gargantua hits all outlets on 2nd November, via RetroSynth Records.
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Pete RingMaster 30/10/2018
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
It is an outstanding start quickly matched by recent single Matching Poles of Magnets. With steelier textures to its electro metal predation, bands like Axis Mundi and Silent Descent coming to mind, the track twists and turns with instinctive and rapacious adventure before Half Empty brings a warm calm to the senses. Immediately vocals echo this mellow breath with their melodic unity but equally a rising discontent in the heart of the song brews as things become more intense and irritable. It never reaches an aggressive state though, revolving through melancholic elegance and emotive exposure as a weave of rich enterprise wraps vocal reflection.
It opens up with its title track and instantly Reminder entangles ears with its electronically bred almost skittish beats and the tantalising tendrils of synths. As vocals join melody casting guitars in the blossoming track, a spicing akin to The Kennedy Soundtrack reinforces its lure. It is a tempting further increased by the brooding tones of bass and a scuzzier lining to keys with beats continuing to provide their hungrily persuasive and often unpredictable touch as the song twists and turns. It is a wholly magnetic affair which impresses more and more with every listen, revealing an entanglement of new creative hues and spices with UK outfit Axis Mundi brought forth at times as a hinting comparison to its electronic trance rock exploits.
Airstrike allows no escape for feet and emotions, let alone voice, stirring them up in its first seconds and then dragging them into its maelstrom of energy and attitude. It spews increasing slavery through voracious rhythms, psychotic enterprise, and a vocal assault which makes the term incitement seem lightweight. The thumping beats of Stu Mealcliffe alongside the pulsating synth stabs of Charlie Bowes cast the first lure, their union unrelenting until the subsequent vocal roars of Kit Conrad and Bowes add their united antagonistic charm. The metal spawn riffs of Harvey Sneezeface Ware aligned to the predatory prowl of Terry Brown’s bass instantly turns the already virulent temptation into a beast of a proposal, their entrance sparking greater intensity and aggression elsewhere too. The landscape of the song continues to evolve and unpredictably shift, sinister melodic endeavour from the guitars sparking a similar air to keys before the dynamics at the heart of the song explode once again in a torrential and commanding cascade of techno trespasses, heavy duty rhythmic and riff induced incitements, and vocal belligerence.
E-Bomb. Synths merge on the senses with sonically drenched colour and vivacity from its first breath, tempting the senses in league with increasingly tantalising sounds. Into its energetic and fiery stride the track dances around ears with a dervish like enthusiasm before settling into a more relaxed stroll within which the melodic tones of Shaun unveil the song’s narrative as infectious guitar toxins bred by Gary entwine their shadowed bait around the imagination. The sounds are as provocative as the lyrical view and its look at the turning away from scientific truths from those which choose to be blind. A masterful blend of electro alchemy and compelling heavy rock, the track is a magnetic tempest setting the album off to a tremendous start.
