Tigress are back with their second EP of hot rocking tunes to continue their rise up the slippery steps of the British rock scene. In an unforgiving industry, with such a rich history, making a decent sized splash is no easy task, but on ‘Like It Is’ the Chelmsford quintet take a decent crack at it and seem to be moving in the right direction.

Recent single, ‘Give Me a Chance’ kicks off with some sparse riffing and a slow boiling groove that builds into a likeable slice of measured hard rock; the big chorus showcasing Katy Jackson’s impressive vocals. ‘Power Lines’ immediately shows another side to the band; it’s less bombastic, but makes for a well executed driving rocker and shows they have more strings to their collective bow.

In fact, they show plenty of versatility over the five tracks on offer. ‘Headaches’, for instance, is a punchy slice of cool hard rock with a killer hook and an urgent energy, while the swirling bass groove of ‘Temper, Temper’ is a chaotic, high octane workout with a twist.

The obvious standout though, is the atmospheric dark pop of ‘Shockwave’. Besides the heartfelt chorus, there is a lovely violin spot to add some depth, making them sound a bit like a rock equivalent to Clean Bandit. They obviously have strong commercial aspirations, but it doesn’t stop them going for something a little more sophisticated and it works well.

All in all, this is a likeable EP showcasing an upcoming band with serious commercial potential, but it’s dog eat dog out there, so let’s see how they fare.

3.5/5

‘Like It Is’ EP by Tigress is out now on LAB Records.

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Words by Edward Layland (@EdwardLayland)