A recent EP release from Visitr Centr delivers a soiree of guitar-driven rock soundscapes that blend everything from math and garage rock, to pop and alternative rock along with loads of indie and even classic rock influence here in there, but it's all rolled up into one fat EP that doesn't only pack a punch but also pack some experimental surprises that make everything come through with such a lush character that you just get attached to everything.
The Late Bloomer EP has tracks that deliver a thriving fuzz tone edginess and those are the kinds of tracks that pack this energetic punch that almost feels like these guys are recording the songs live on the floor and everyone is just feeding off of each other's energy the entire time.
Those tracks really hit hard and come through with a robust and almost animated personality, and the riffs are amazing, the tones are sonically driving and everything leaves its mark.
This is very balanced out but other approaches songwriting and arrangement wise as other tracks come through with this vastness in their undertone and that feels expansive and you get these bits of experimental guitar sections that come in and out along with other production trickery that makes things a little outside the box.
Some would call this art rock but really it's indie rock. It's just done with a garage tonality and a unique approach that makes things sort of vivacious but without being aggressive.
I love this because it makes the record as colorful as it is edgy and some of these songs are unbelievably danceable with baselines that really drive them and help push the envelope to where the songs end up needing to be.
This is one of those records where you have to listen to the whole thing to really understand it in full.
What I mean is, if you listen to only one or two tracks from this release, you will not be getting anywhere near the full spectrum of what it has to offer.
Each track is uniquely different from the last but there is still a confluence and a glue that holds the whole thing together as one full ep as well.
You can tell these guys had a blast making this thing and even if I'm wrong about the whole live on the floor thing, listening to this record makes you want to go see them perform it live right in your face simply because if the energy is captured this well on record then seeing them live must be awesome.
These kinds of records are the ones that restore my faith in music because what you're getting with a release like this is not cookie-cutter whatsoever but it still manages to come through catchy and memorable with hooks and chunks that float around in your head for hours or even days after the songs have ended.
The only way to satiate that kind of thing is to go and listen to the songs again and to me not only is that smart songwriting but insanely fun.
You can tell that these guys have a real love for their craft and when I say that I don't just mean playing their instruments or singing, I mean writing songs together that are able to create an atmosphere all their own.
You have to love a band that you can recognize when you hear a track and this is one of those bands.
Listening to a record where, by the time you get halfway through it, you begin to expect the unexpected is an absolute treat.
This is because it rarely happens so when I heard this EP it was so refreshing and even somewhat rejuvenating for me that it did indeed restore my faith in the youth of the future of music as we know it in terms of garage, punk, indie rock, and more.
I know what you're thinking. What an overreaction. But it's not really.
Most of the time you could predict what the next section of a song is going to sound like nowadays. And there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with bands that are young taking their influences and sort of recreating them in some way shape or form.
It's like a love letter to the bands that got them into music in the first place and that's a beautiful thing.
However, it's also very predictable a lot of the time and this is exactly what I mean by a song or record being cookie-cutter.
There are no surprises, there's no experimentation.
The Late Bloomer EP is packed with experimentation, fun, genuine energy, surprises around the corners, character, and personality, and there's something that's just electric about the whole thing.
So, don't just take my word for it, go and listen to the record, and be sure and turn it nice and loud while you do.
Remember where you heard it first.
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