SECRET RIVALS unveil a nostalgic synth-packed EP, Ways, that intertwines ’80s punk with modern classics.
The quartet from Oxford, UK, are back after a nine-year break. They are ready to take listeners on an emotional journey of acceptance, with reverbing guitars and ethereal synths. Despite only being five tracks long, it doesn’t fail to pack a punch. Themes of longing and dreaming traverse the EP. “All my dreams have died” is heard on the second track, ‘The Last of My Letters.’ In the closing and title track, ‘Ways,’ they’ve penned, “Live for the night, in the morning I still come undone.”
This record encompasses an array of inspirations while still being uniquely SECRET RIVALS. The snare drums that open ‘I’ve Tried Everything’ are reminiscent of ‘I Miss You’ by Blink-182. The feverish guitars only add to this EP’s dreamlike quality. Every track sounds like a cacophony through the decades from the ’80s to the 2020s. ‘Ataxia’ bursts with elongated vocals, solidifying those ’80s punk band fundamentals in their music. Meanwhile, the melody has Bloc Party entwined all the way through.
The immersive lyrics intertwine with the reverberating guitars, creating an atmosphere to get lost in. On the closing and title track, Ways, there is a battle between instruments and vocals fighting for the limelight, but, as a result, it creates an emotional crescendo to the record. As a whole, it is a marriage of old and new. The artful balance of female and male vocals only adds to the juxtaposing sounds of the whole piece. The real and surreal, waking and dreaming, loss and hope, ethereal synths and jagged guitars.
Ways is available to stream and download across all platforms now.
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