Welcome To "Eel Land": New Music From East Anglia's Finest EELS! EELS! EELS!
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Longer-time readers of my page may already be familiar with EELS! EELS! EELS!, the East Anglian alt rock three piece who find themselves inspired by folklore and natural landscapes. Much like many bands that come my way, it was their name that piqued interest first, but previous singles "Glorious" and "Live Long, Fen Tiger" succeeded in keeping me engaged. Now, the band have recently released their new EP "Eel Land", and whilst I'm only mildly disappointed it's not the new hotly anticipated themed area in Chessington, I'm delighted that this is another solid entry into the band's discography.
The EP kicks things off with opening track "Owls", straight away selling the desert fuzz sound. Slow yet groovy, simple yet catchy, it's like returning to an old friend. This is the Eels!... you may have already heard, but with a refined edge.
"Separated by the Cut" sees a sludgier affair, which I'm hesitant to describe it as, as this is far from a "sludge" subgenre. Instead, the rhythm is full of those bluesier, groovier technicalities. Gaps in the instrumentation allows vocalist Harris to take the centre during verses, and backing vocals during choruses show nice dynamic range.
Whether intentional or not, the cymbal work sounds a lot like spoons, which is naturally quite positively brain scratching. There's even a Middle Eastern twang in the last couple of bars, mixing things up even more. It's proof that there's always something up someone's sleeve.
If the phrase "James Bond chord" doesn't already strike any familiarity or humour, perhaps I can use the beginning of next track "Nothing to Care" to demonstrate it: resonant, warm and cinematic, with a distinct whammy bar sound. It introduces probably the EP's most different track, coming away from the fuzz and instead a well lit, 1960s dance. I'm specifically thinking the chequered tiles and neat white tuxedo. Perhaps not the visual they were going for, but such is the joy of music. A highlight on the EP for guitar work.
Closing track "Warrior" harkens back to the bluesier sound from earlier on, spearheaded by a simple bass and drum rhythm. Save for some slightly mudded drum fills in the mid section of the song, the feel and groove is consistent throughout, helped by the fact that the on-beat cymbal hit makes it super easy to tap one's foot along. It's a good conclusion, but doesn't particularly offer anything different to what has already been shown in the last 17 minutes or so.
The end result is a clear progression of Eels!...'s sound, building from previous releases as the band continue to develop their craft. I'm quite looking forward to when our diaries align and I can catch some, if not all, of these tracks live.
"Eel Land" is out NOW on streaming platforms
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