Centrifuge are an interesting prospect. A first listen would quickly convince you that they’re setting out to do all things post-rock and indie, and indeed they do, but there’s an undeniable catchiness about this that you don’t often associate with bands of that ilk. I thought of many interesting comparisons when sitting down to pen this: the older style Muse-esque vocals in parts, the introductory bass on track 3 being reminiscent of many a Black Flag classic, and one or two others that seem to desert me at this moment. But alas, they’re nothing but inspiration. There’s a rather nicely unique sound here and I feel it throbbing in my eardrums like a veritable Sexual Harassment Panda thrust
Mellow yet driving; understated yet coarse, when appropriate. The sound seems to find its own groove pretty quickly and park its backside firmly into it despite the fact that track 5 throws a slight curveball with its heavier and punkier sound. But I like it, and it rivals the opener as the best track on the CD.
The band themselves admit that hailing from Stoke-on-Trent hasn’t helped their progress to date, but by putting this EP out to the right places and the right people I can see that changing. I mean, this isn’t perfect: track 4 occasionally sees the vocal waves flirt dangerously close to a boring, repetitive drawl, and I’m not a fan of the artwork at all, but such faults are heavily outnumbered by the successes here. The overall sound itself, rather than influences, is a little difficult to pigeonhole, but it just works. I look forward to their next offering as, overall, it’s a thumbs up.
www.centrifugeonline.co.uk
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