Flies Are Spies From Hell

It’s hard to imagine Flies Are Spies From Hell having a singer as their songs sound like they have always been an instrumental post-rock band. This, of course, was way back in 2004 when they first formed. Fast-forward to 2010 when Field Records came across a band they just couldn’t resist. The result of that union is this new EP (to be released on February 27th), which features two new studio tracks and three remixes from their debut album ‘Red Eyes Unravelling’.

Flies waste no time with new track ‘Nerves Still Beating’ reminding us of what they do best. The opening track, which is also the album title, begins with a gentle Flies intro that fans will know so well. As the coaxing guitar begins you know that it is just the start of a wonder filled journey that leaves you wondering where it will finish. The warm and hypnotic musical embrace takes you higher and higher and leaves you gasping and asking for more. But then the crash comes! It’s a catapult of a drop and it hits every nerve possible. Unexpected it may be, but it’s a welcome one and it feels great. Soft notes then encompass your body to soothe you and erase any bruising it may have caused. Flies give your nerves a beating but they also offer a remedy.

After the rollercoaster of the first track, Flies want to creep into your soul. They achieve this in ‘Axe to the Roots’ within the first 20 seconds, with sounds that infiltrate your deepest and darkest secret. You may refuse, but as the music teases and pokes at you you’ll find yourself giving in to it with a smile. The build-ups are so intense that you will believe you can take on the world.

The last three tracks are the remixes. ‘Great Deadener’ (‘Gunning for Tamar’ remix), has a more discordant electronic sound which is very different to the original. It has a complete change to the feel of the first two tracks and it is not a patch on the original. The familiar Flies’ guitar sound can be heard from time to time but it is very seldom.

The final remix, ‘King Sly’ (remixed by ‘Karhide), gives a different slant to a previous haunting and mysterious record. In the original it took you right to the pinnacle of emotion. The remix features a smidgeon of an electronic kick to it and a pinch of delirium. It feels uncomfortable and perhaps a bit too manic but somehow feels right when it reaches its crescendo of a thrashing and heavy tornado which, overall, finishes off the album perfectly.

Flies don’t need a singer to be emotional. Their songs prove this again and again. Like a bird gliding across choppy waters with their bellies hitting the waves as they go, the journey this EP takes you on will not be a disappointment.