By Kevin Scott
A melody that feels at once familiarly upbeat and quintessentially Scottish kicks off this EP by Edinburgh five-piece Miasma. The band, formed in Edinburgh in 2009, took until last year to settle on its final line up of Alex Auld-Smith, Michael Davidson, Rob MacNeacail, Dominic Hard and Daniel Crichton, but with a number of self-produced recordings under their name, including 2011 album Feathered Feet, the band are aiming high in 2014 with this new self-titled EP.
The afore-mentioned opener 'Tarsaviag' contains the sort of golden guitar melody that typifies Scottish indie-pop, two guitars working in tandem to support a pleasant enough vocal track - though it could have been mixed a little higher, particularly in the harmonies. There are elements of Idlewild in their softer years here. "And it's oh so nice to meet you and your friends / but as long as you can lust they'll be crawling all over you," runs a chorus that sets the tone for the EP.
Second track 'Evil Twin' begins with more intricate electronic percussion and a more traditional folk guitar track than the opener, but despite veering from the standard guitar band sound, it lacks the warmth of its predecessor. Again focused on the intricacies of relationships and growing up, the song does presents a confident sound and a definitively 'earwig' chorus of: "Oh so delightful / now why did he grow up / when he feels like a stick in the spokes / a wrench in the cogs."
'Damascus Brass' is again different stylistically, a rockier sound from the guitar, while 'Mud Thunder' is more electronic in its intro, guitars sound cleaner again and vocal softer. There's a fuller sound here, more depth to the track. As a result of this variation in style between all four tracks, it's difficult to pigeonhole the band, but it does illustrate a wide range of influences from which Miasma have drawn inspiration.
It's not easy for guitar bands to stand out given the sheer volume of releases in this easy-access digital world. Miasma have pulled together a decent collection of songs however whether it's enough for them to attract a sufficient audience remains to be seen.
