Eepocampe – When Things Get Abstract

I will admit a minor panic when I first sat down to review this album…all the memories of Standard Grade French classes and Arc-En-Ciel text books came flooding back…thankfully though Eepocampe have brightened up this nostalgia trip and given it a better soundtrack than the first time when the Spice Girls and Westlife were fortunately/unfortunately (delete as appropriate) part of the break time tunes. As you’ve probably guessed Eepocampe are a French group, three childhood friends who’ve been on the music scene for about 7 years. With a clear post modern rock style and some really good effects and harmonies their new album ‘When Things Get Abstract’ is definitely something to take a listen to. The album itself (all sung in English as opposed to the band’s previous songs which were in their native tongue) came out late last year but is gaining more interest as festival time approaches.

The 8 tracks on the album feature the ‘core’ drums, bass and guitar with vocals with added extras thrown in to add to the different feelings of the tracks. Starting off with ‘Lions and Elephants’, a smooth blend of thick harmonies before building to the end of the piece, it moves into ‘Heart of Volunteer’, beginning with drum and bass which are a key feature of the track. I’d say that across the album that the drums and bass really come into their own. The melodies and riffs on bass would be envied by a few bands, with the sounds coming across clearly, cleanly and hooking you back in for more. This is probably best experienced in ‘Indecisive Mind’ and ‘Polaroid Faces’.

Having said that the album feels as though all the songs on are centred towards the epic title track halfway through the album. Almost 9 minutes of well worked musical harmonies, instrumentation and effects. The writing for the second half of the album is good too, working more for the drum and bass and adding new instruments to the fold like glockenspiel and strings. But it’s clear that the landmark track is definitely ‘When Things Get Abstract’.

Some people might find the changes in style between the tracks too much or feel that the second half of the album would work better as B-sides but I’d say if you want to experience good writing then this is certainly one for the music library. I don’t think that there was one track on the album that I didn’t get something out of as musically everything works, the sound, the tightness in the playing, the tunes and the bold and captivating harmonies. Très bien!

Available for download from iTunes and Bandcamp now.

Posted by Angela Jaap.

Tags: album review, Angela Jaap, Bandcamp, Eepocampe, When Things Get Abstract