With a different vibe from their previous EP, Nottingham’s Eva Plays Dead return with ‘The Fix’ – heavier, louder and angrier. This five-song collection shows a band who have honed their craft and developed their sound, feeling comfortable in their own skin. Self-released via their own label, Playing Dead Records, it’s also cheering to see them holding on to their DIY aesthetic. Despite the increased and rightly deserved attention they’ve been garnering recently.
Things get off to an impressive start with energetic opener, ‘Spin’, featuring the kind of infectious chorus that gets stuck in your head immediately. It’s a fast-paced, non-stop barrage with some stand-out snare work and gruelling, thick guitars that lead perfectly into the dirty riffs of ‘Get Back’. Tiggy Dee’s intense, attitude-drenched vocal delivery only gets better as the EP continues.
Displaying a powerful set of lungs, her vocals soar above the layered guitars and punchy rhythm section of this extremely tight band, with their well-rehearsed dynamics showcased best on ‘Bones’. Its a contender for the catchiest track on the album, as the drums and guitars perfectly complement one another in an exciting pre-chorus build. Elsewhere ‘Monogamy’ is a further great example of slick song structure.
Many of the themes and lyrics of the record explore Dee’s personal struggle with bipolar disorder; from the title of the EP to the cover image of two merged heads with pills cascading into them. “Oh God, what have I done, I feel so numb” she sings on ‘Spin’, while admitting on ‘Get Back’, “I’m a little fucked up, I’m a little drugged up, and I’m broken” and “here lies a chemical high, looking down so misty-eyed.”
‘The Fix’ unashamedly deals with the issues of drug abuse and over-medication, held together by the big thick riffs and raucous vocal energy of their epic classic rock sound. It’s an awesome release which firmly cements Eva Plays Dead’s place in the UK rock scene.
4/5
‘The Fix’ EP by Eva Plays Dead is released on 27th April on Playing Dead Records.
Eva Plays Dead links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Words by Bec Simpson (@swallowmyeyes)
