Though this is my first introduction to them, You Win Again Gravity have been around since 2008, though have unfortunately been plagued with member changes. Finally back on track, they release ‘Brightly Coloured Landscapes’, a follow up EP to 2012’s ’Reflect The Change’.
There’s no doubt of Jack Jennings’s vocal abilities, which are on display right from the off. The amount of clean vocals in ‘Written Off As Fiction’, though, is probably more than the rest of the EP put together which is a shame, as the majority of the tracks are smothered in less appealing attempted screams. We first hear the heavier side of the vocal duties way through the first track where there is a very oddly placed, almost needless, breakdown. It started very promising, but was ultimately marred by needless breakdowns, which I later learned is a recurring theme.
It becomes clear the kind of sound that You Win Again Gravity are going for is not the one the first minute of ‘Written Off As Fiction’ would have you believe, with second track ‘Sublety’ starting with yet another less than inspiring breakdown accompanied by that strained scream I was hoping we weren’t going to have to listen to too much of, along with the need to have technical guitar parts in literally every section of every song, which was making the whole thing sound a mess. ‘Planets Align’ contains, similar to opener ‘Written Off As Fiction’, a clean intro which inevitably leads into yet another breakdown. The technical element is there more than ever through out ‘Planets Align’, but to me it just continues to make a mess.
It’s an EP that screams bright hoodies, breakdowns and fringes. Which just doesn’t sit right with me in 2014. The band are young though, and each band member clearly has talent. As previously mentioned, the clean vocals are impressive and most of the guitar parts probably would have shined through as a highlight if the guitar parts were structured a bit better – though whether they, or any band, need three guitarists I’m not so sure.
2.5/5
’Brightly Coloured Landscapes’ by You Win Again Gravity is out now.
You Win Again Gravity links: Bandcamp|Facebook
Words by Joe Hart (@raisedbywoofs)
