Forest

Forest are the Cambridge five piece creating waves across the internet and after reaping all kinds of praise for their debut EP 'Sweetcure' they are back with their new EP, 'Caramel Arms.' It is a blistering drive of interweaving guitar riffs and lyrics that tackle rejection and the dejected, juxtaposed with an underlying perseverance at trying to make things work out. Energetic crashing guitars form the underlying ingredients as Forest take you on a journey through this four track EP.

Opening with the optimistic 'Coaster', things quickly gather pace as you are forced on a rollercoaster of melodious fuzz, as it runs away to its dramatic climax. It's not all crystal clear, and has that rough-round-the-edges feel about it, but what makes the whole ride more enjoyable is that you cannot guess what will come next.

This is followed by the bouncing intricate riffs of the standout track '99', which sounds very much inspired by The Strokes earlier efforts. Everything about this clever, up-beat little song resonates with nostalgia and looking back on happier times as lead singer Harry Barraclough sighs 'it takes me back to '99, back when the girl was mine.'

The tone changes with 'Warm Tyres' which makes you think of long, warm evenings at the height of summer. It is a slower number and brings down the pace of the previous tracks, with the backing vocals building on the ethereal tone and adding to its shadowy beauty. It's finished off with the melting pot of lo-fi melodies that is 'Oh' which ends the emotional rollercoaster as it crashes around. Just when you think you know where you are, it knocks you off course again, ensuring that you feel the disillusion and frustration that Peter Liddard is trying to make you understand. 'Caramel Arms' is a sweet embrace filled with surprises. Encompassing all kinds of emotions and tones, it looks like these boys have a lot of potential and the future is looking good.