All of my shows through the rest of the year have been canceled or postponed since the uptick in covid cases. Honestly, my heart is broken and the fact that I’ve already seen my last show of 2021 is a hard pill to swallow but, thankfully, I still have loads of new music to check out so that will have to be where I find my peace for the foreseeable future. No pressure, Inside Voices, but I’m really hoping your ‘Seek’ EP hits the spot and helps me become okay with the reality of no concerts for a few days!
“Seem” kicks this six-song EP off and I instantly fell in love. Whirling guitar work with strong drums, I was already sold on their sound but then the vocals came in and took over my heart and soul. That perfect blend of nostalgia and modern sounds, I loved the almost emo, sad-boy vibe that the vocals brought to the overall driving instrumentation. With sudden yet somehow smooth transitions in tempo throughout this track, I found this opening song to be extremely dynamic and beyond speaking to my heart stylistically, I was loving the amount of creativity and stellar songwriting and composition that I was getting from this opening track.
The power and flawless sound continue into “Swell” which was instantly a favorite of mine. The layers that make up this track are intricate and interesting but, when listening to the song, you don’t find yourself getting overwhelmed by it all. I also love the shift in the vocals. Although they are clearly the same as those in “Seem”, there’s a new sense of warmth that comes with them in “Swell”. Unfortunately, this track is also the shortest song on the album at just a hair over a minute and a half long and I wasn’t super fond of the sudden stop between this one and “Whitt” but the drum part that starts “Whitt” off definitely helped make up for it. Again, an interesting and intricate layer that really showcases the technicality of this band, the drumbeat in this song was love at first beat for me. The almost echoed effect on the vocals throughout “Whitt” had me reliving the days where BoysNightOut were kings (which, did those days really ever end?). There’s a heavy emotion attached to “Whitt” that is equal parts beautiful and heavy creating a beautiful soundscape that I wish would never leave my soul.
“Hide” seemed a bit plain when compared to the previous tracks but I don’t mean that in a bad way. This song still absolutely showcases Inside Voices’ distinct sound and style while giving you just a more straight-up, emotionally charged track. Although this one is over three minutes long, I found myself lost in the beautiful words laid out throughout the track and they way they matched up with the guitar work. There’s almost this cool mimic-like effect between the two layers but it’s not an echo or anything like that. It’s quite odd but when there’s a break in the vocals and the guitar takes over, there’s this odd thing where you can almost still hear vocals. What I’m trying to say is it’s genius, this song is genius, this band is genius. Are you picking up what I’m putting down?
The way “Hide” moves into “Both” is perfect. “Both” still has a more straight up approach when compared to the first couple of tracks but it doesn’t feel as plain as “Hide” making it the perfect follow-up. I really found myself falling for every word in this track. Sure, it’s sad boy music and absolutely emo at its core but there’s something just so absolutely beautiful about the delivery of every word in this track (and every track for that matter). Unfortunately, this is another super short track at just under two and a half minutes and, before I knew it, the title track, “Seek” had taken over my house and was leading me to the end of this beautiful journey.
Instead of closing out with something soft and sweet, “Seek” ends this release with a triumphant sense of power and that undeniable emotionally-soaked vibe that can only be described as Inside Voices. Showing a bit more angst than the previous tracks, this was another favorite of mine and even though it is over four minutes long, I was left wanting so much more and found it impossible to not replay the entire release as I was left in silence at the end. Inside Voices is a mood and I mean that in the best way possible. Depending on where you are in your head, this can either make you feel all the feels or release all the feels and I love that about this album. I’ve covered a lot of amazing music this year and I know we are nearing the end of 2021 but this may very well be one of my favorites that I’ve gotten to check out!
My Favorite Track(s): “Swell”; “Seek”
For Fans Of: Nostalgia; Emotion; Power
Mosh-ability: 6 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Artie slept right next to my desk; Autumn slept upstairs
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 9 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 9.3 out of 10
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