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The Maple State

Say Scientist EP

Written by: TL on 14/10/2008 17:12:52

Another band that's been buzzing around the English underground for a while and have now started to stir things up a bit are The Maple State, and the stir I'm talking about has come mostly as an effect of their self-released "Say Scientist EP", which has received substantial praise from critics and general indie-appreciators alike.

On "Say Scientist EP", The Maple State sound mainly like indie-rock heavy weights such as The Strokes or Franz Ferdinand, and for the fans of any of those bands, getting the EP should be a no brainer. The Maple State simply play their style and merits too well not to. As for everyone else, what makes this record stand out is how it manages to sound oldschool, likely because of its low-key production. The less-than-perfect garage-ish sound of the songs add to them a feeling of honesty and nostalgia that'll have you thinking of past summers, much in the same style American bands that fuse emo, indie and hardcore have been doing for years. Effectively, apart from the obvious English comparisons, some of you will also smell things that hint of old Jimmy Eat World or The Get Up Kids.

As for the songs, the obvious highlight comes in the opener "We Swear By The Light Life", with its contagious rhythm and sweeping chorus making sure to raise your spirits any day. The following title track features the band in a more thoughtful and subtle version, while "Don't Take Holidays" ups the tempo before "Temperate Lives" really lights things up with an anthemic gang-backed chorus. "Starts With Dean Moriarty (Bad Sign)" amps the volume back up, before "You And Me And An X-Ray Machine" takes it down again and ends the album with a sound that would have fitted perfectly on Jimmy Eat World's "Stay On My Side Tonight EP".

There's no doubt in my mind, that if The Maple State can somehow maintain that core sound where they mix the energy of British indie rock and the sentimentality of American emo/indie, they can make for one excellent and unique band, sure to gain a solid fanbase, at least in the underground. This EP is the promise of that happening, and with songs with instant recognition value it's worth a good share of spins for sure. All that's left for us is to wait for a full length where the band demonstrates that they can produce a consistent mass of material, and perhaps even expand a bit on what makes them this good.

Download: We Swear By The Light Life, Temperate Lives
For The Fans Of: The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, The Get Up Kids, Saves The Day
Listen: myspace.com/themaplestate

Release Date 28.02.2008
Punktastic Recordings