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Cardinal Bay

Way Back Home EP

Written by: EL on 09/04/2015 14:46:02

Somerset based post-hardcore band Cardinal Bay are about to release their debut EP, “Way Back Home”. With an array of playful melodies and some serious crooning it is a worthy and commendable debut EP for such a young band. The opening title track is pretty much your standard post-hardcore track. Its upbeat tempo and punchy chorus are consistent and tight, but it seems to be lacking a few dimensions and feels a bit too rushed. Hats off to vocalist Josh Rogers whose vocals soar impressively high throughout the song though I would have liked to have heard a bit more depth and range in melody as I can hear he has the ability to do so much more with his voice.

“Everytime” introduces heavier elements to the EP with some harsh vocals and a bigger focus on the guitars’ rhythm, which provides some crunchy riffs. The harsh vocals really balance out the tone of the EP, which I much prefer to tracks with solely clean vocals. Again it feels like the track becomes a bit repetitive and lacks depth and range but overall it’s certainly one of their stronger on the EP.

“Hold Tight” holds a punchy chorus with many voices bringing in a weight that the previous tracks lacked. The layering of clean and harsh vocals blend well and carry the song with little effort. Midways through we see the other side to the EP. It’s much heavier and it definitely leans more to the post-hardcore side of things. The mood has shifted to something more sincere and dark and evolves into something that I can see being a crowd favourite at shows.

“Just Move On” appears to fall back into the more pop-rock feel that the first two tracks had. The vocals in this track aren’t as smooth or fluid as previous tracks and I feel they bring down the rest of the song as a result. Whilst listening to this track I was forcing myself to hear the background more as I found the vocals far too overpowering and brash. When I mentioned earlier that Rogers needed to find more depth and range to his vocals this was sort of what I was looking for, but it seems he hasn’t quite hit the mark yet. That’s not to say he won't find it at some point as I believe he has massive potential for being an outstanding vocalist and for a first time EP I think he’s found the right stepping stone to learn from it.

“Thoughts Explode” is the final track of the EP and is definitely one of the heavier songs of the EP. It’s fierce and aggressive and comes as a complete surprise after the other more poppy tracks. There are some sections that give us some awesome guitar riffs and it shows a natural progression in this band's growth.

Overall for a debut EP from such a new band they should be proud of what they have achieved and I have no doubt in my mind that they are on the way to bigger things. I hope to see a heavier side to them in the future since that appeared to be their strongest element throughout the EP and they have the potential to truly outshine many other similar bands.

Download: Hold Tight, Thoughts Explode
For The Fans Of: Mallory Knox, Amaryllis
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 20.04.2015
Self-released