(label)
26 June 2015 (released)
26 June 2015
It is easy to hide behind the distortion of an electric turned up past ten, but for Luca Bash this isn’t on his agenda. Instead Luca has chosen to bare his emotions for all of us to see, and I for one respect any artist that chooses to make that their mission; it can be a scary yet empowering place to be. It is difficult to release any song without the protection of other band members to help take on the many vast reviews an album of this sort can garner, and Luca Bash strips down to the most honest place a musician can find themselves with this sort of melodic and intimate album.
The latest EP “Single Drops” is a beautiful and somewhat pitchy collaboration between singer/songwriter Luca Bash and Giova Pes.
The song “Your Tomorrow” feels almost too romantic in its sound to be taken seriously, but given the chance it soon transforms into a beautiful and inspired song worth listening to.
“Forever Like Asleep” is a song that almost gets it right but never quite gets there. Starting with a catchy guitar riff, it is expected that this song will eventually elevate itself to a more progressive sound with a reasonable payoff, unfortunately it loses itself between uninspired soft vocals that never quite go anywhere, and even the guitar loses itself in one final messy strum.
It is within the haunting track “Dear John” that Luca Bash shows his potential and deserves credit for their sound. Even though it can be a bit difficult to work through the thick accent to the lyrics (which isn’t something I feel should be held against the band) this song has a captivating emotion to it that drips with honesty. The guitar work sounds effortless and is handled with great care, and Luca’s soft style of singing is properly placed here. Thoughtful and beautiful, this is easily one of the albums highlights.
Breaking up the slower pace of the previous songs “Little Tale” is a welcome addition to the album, but if you had a hard time understanding the lyrics in the previous song, this song will truly test your ability to hear the lyrics. That being said, this song has beautifully executed guitars that lead to a high point in the album where Luca sings with controlled vocals that feel sincere and welcoming. The careful production of this song is something Luca Bash should be proud of, and if you listen to one song off this album, this is probably the best choice to start with.
The “Black Swans Walls” is the not-so-ugly duckling of the album. The song itself doesn’t seem to fit the rhythm and tone of the four other songs that it shares the floor with. As a single song on its own it is catchy enough, but it fits oddly into the bigger picture of the album, an almost little-too-late feeling here. This is the one area of the album where I feel Luca should have pushed himself vocally to meet the demands of this high energy song. Simply put, the vocal style for one type of sound does not work if copy and pasted over to another, and the soft vocals on this song are simply not enough for the fast paced sound.
In conclusion, Single Drops is an interesting enough EP, with some very impressive guitars and highlights in the singing that at times fall a bit short of their mark, but all in all, if you enjoy a stripped down song with emotion, give this one a spin.
