Dresden

Dresden EP

Written by: TL on 28/08/2015 13:45:13

Despite sharing their name with one of the larger cities in Germany, the self-labelled rock/emo trio Dresden does, in fact, hail from Georgia in the US. Their self-titled EP of four tracks has been sent our way, and here they open up with a powerful soundscape reverberating across a mid-paced beat, while the first vocals have a familiar sort of half-sighed quality to them. The tempo is soon raised, however, while the atmosphere stays dark and the singing stays relatively calm. It sounds a bit like a mix of the often overlooked Wolves & Machines and the first Citizen record, with the added feature that singer/guitarist John Buice has a vocal tone that's slightly similar to The Xcerts' Murray MacLeod.

The opening song, "Glow", is arguably the best of this EP along with the third track "Mourning", which sounds particularly like something that could have been borrowed from either of the first two Xcerts records - which is a good thing. There are moments here that also sound eerily similar to what newer Nashville bands like Bandit or Better Off have been doing, again all for the better. Occasionally, the relationship between the singing and the churning, melancholic instrumental backdrop even feels a bit like the post-punk of The Twilight Sad for instance.

There are some respectable similarities to pick up on while taking some first tours of Dresden's soundscape then, and in "Glow" and "Mourning" you also get some pretty catchy hook melodies. Despite the promising first impressions, however, it also feels clear that Dresden are experimenting more than they are focused at this point. The grungy twang of "Rash" sounds as dead end as it has with other US bands that have followed that trend lately, and the comparison to Citizen is not without a downside either, as "Evening" has a similar feeling of promise that sort of steps around coming together at any point.

Overall though, Dresden at this point have come some way with developing an enjoyable style for themselves and have even managed to squeeze a few catchy moments out of it as well. Their sound is a bit homogenous, and some more distinct riffs and eye-popping lyrics would look good on them, and particularly the latter would do good, considering that Buice has great diction in his vocal performance, which could really showcase some lines that would plant a deeper interest in fans. For the time being though, this EP is more the kind you listen to and think "hmm, promising" than one which gives you songs to last you for a long while into the future.

7

Download: Glow, Mourning
For The Fans Of: Wolves & Machines, Citizen, The Xcerts, Better Off
Listen: facebook.com/dresdenwr

Release date 31.07.2015
Famined Records

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