01. Timely Sought
02. On Elliott
03. The Fall Of...
04. Why? I'll Meet You There.
05. On Fern
06. Self Is...
07. Ghostly Thought
Right out of the gate I really like this release. Small Steps manage to mix screamo and more straightforward punk influences with weird twists and turns to create a sound that is definitely theirs. It's not altogether revolutionary, but it's the way that Small Steps manages to combine these elements that stands out to me. When opener 'Timely Sought' kicks in it starts with a galloping punk beat, but then dives into punctuated drumming with passionate vocals put overtop. My favorite part of this is the way the bass sounds. The tone is gnarly and dirty, and helps carry the sound in a great way. When the guitars jump to higher registers, the bass holds down the entire song with a rumbling foundation that compliments the guitars in an awesome way. If I had to pick something to complain about it would be that the vocals don't really change their dynamic or approach throughout, but that isn't really a bad thing at all. The music underneath the mainly screamed vocals changed and fluctuates enough to keep the listener alert and engaged. This has definitely gotten repeat listens from me, and I look forward to what the band does next.
Reviewed by Justin.
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