Who? In Sepia
Where are they from? Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
What do they sound like? In Sepia, much like fellow Australians Arrows, are playing that rich, driving indie/emo sound that was so popular way back in the old days (the 90’s that is). If you can still get down with bands like Mineral, The Appleseed Cast, Christie Front Drive and Penfold then In Sepia is quite simply a must have. This is beautiful and powerful stuff for fans of the genre.
Four Litre Drops
Arrows hail from Australia and play a subtle and brilliant take on the emo genre. From the very first listen to Arrows’ Modern Art & Politics I get the feeling the record has been in my collection for years and years. It is a strange phenomenon when that happens but it speaks to how well Arrows are playing a sound that I grew up on. Bringing to mind bands like Mineral, Penfold and Christie Front Drive, Arrows songs drift along a beautiful path. Slowly unfolding, Arrows never rush to any destination. The band is quite content to let the songs rise and fall as they must. Ten songs in 55+ minutes to be exact. And this isn’t some pussified version of emo either. Arrrows can go from softer piano-led parts to more emotionally compelling moments within a single song. In either direction, Arrows are making a visceral statement in the art of composition and delivery. For such a young band, Arrows are mature beyond their years and Modern Art & Politics is one of the best debuts I have heard in quite some time.
Genre: Emo/Indie
RIYL: Penfold, Mineral, Christie Front Drive
Label: Hobbledehoy
Someone You Knew But You’ve Hardly Met
I recently talked with Keith Latinen of Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate). Here is the short Q&A.
Describe the band’s sound and major influences.
Keith: I guess I would describe our sound as a throw-back to the mid-90’s emo bands. The really pretty, heart-on-your sleeve gut-wrenching stuff that when you listen to it, you can tell the artist is pouring their heart out. So it’s only natural for our influences to start there- we’re talking Mineral, American Football, Appleseed Cast, Penfold, old Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie, and The Get Up Kids.
What is the songwriting process like for Empire Empire?
Keith: The project started as a solo-project for me, so the first entire EP I did everything – all the instruments as well as the recording. At that point, I would write in blocks, so I would write every part for the first 30 seconds or so, then start the next part with guitars and build it up again. We actually recorded the full-length the same way, only Cathy played guitar as well. Nowadays though, Cathy or I will bring something to practice, or we just start jamming and molding it into whatever form it naturally takes.
What’s the band’s opinion on file-sharing?
Keith: At this point I think it would be foolish to be against something that is essentially the greatest form of advertisement. I think file-sharing has already helped us gain exposure as a band. It’s sort of a loaded question though, because we are all broke, and recording and pressing, and just being in a band is really expensive. It would be nice to be paid for every song someone downloads, but file-sharing is here, and I think it can help us more than hurt us. If it brings out someone to a show or makes us another fan, then that’s way more important than getting some change from a download.
What’s on the horizon for Empire Empire?
Keith: Right now, I am finishing the vocals up for our full-length, which we hope to put out sometime this summer. Past that, we are booking a tour for May, and hope to just keep touring and making music as long as we can.
SAL Review of EE’s Year Of The Rabbit 7″
