The bare-bones approach is often a risky one. When songs aren’t embellished in any way, the results can often be underwhelming, and in some cases, flat-out uninteresting. On the other hand, however, a band’s songcraft can be easily highlighted if they strip things back, and it is the latter that is evident London-based folk-rock group Sincere Deceivers’s new EP, ‘Stories Left to Tell’. They subscribe to the idea of keeping it simple, and it pays off for them.
The EP begins in impressive fashion with the acoustic guitar-led ‘Grey Towers’. While Matt Glover’s singing style won’t be for everyone (it sounds like he’s trying a little too hard in places), the track benefits greatly from the entry of Lizzie Burch’s viola around two minutes in, a moment which really tugs at the heartstrings. It could be accused off starting the EP on a downer, but there’s a good balance of light and shade across these five songs. ‘Returning to Sender’ is a more upbeat affair which features some well-crafted harmonies between Glover and Katie Service, and is arguably the most immediate song on the EP.
‘Stories Left to Tell’, the quintet’s second EP, is extremely well-structured. ‘Returning to Sender’ flows effortlessly into the two-part epic ‘Edge of Your Spirit’, a decidedly low-key seven-minute song that never rises above a steady tempo. While it might sound steeped in melancholy at times, the change to a major key around three-and-a-half minutes in is quite effective, and helps set up the last song on the EP, the title track, quite well. ‘Stories Left to Tell’ itself is kept to a brisk 1:36, and points at the band broadening their horizons in future. Perhaps the EP just failed to really grab a hold of this listener, and more upbeat songs would have been nice, but it’s an enjoyable listen all the same.
Available now on Bandcamp
Echo Rating (((???)))
Posted by Gareth O’Malley
