A fresh EP release from Soft Construction delivers a massive array of soundscapes and with those come different levels of intensity as the EP unfolds into these combinations of synth-pop, indie pop, rock, and a bit of experimental and psychedelic undertones but all of this gives the record so much color and so much edge that you can't look away from it.
The trial by water EP feels almost like it's a concept record of sorts and the songs have different ways of interconnecting with each other but it's also a bit eclectic at the same time. There is a confluence and a glue that holds it all together, but there is also that experimental and outside-the-box approach that lets each song be a little different from the last.
There are a huge number of incredible textures that lay on top of each other at different times throughout this release and sometimes it gives more of a cinematic or even theatrical feel while others it gives a more pop overtone.
You have brilliant synth pads that float through the ethers of some of these songs and give it that vast and expansive undertone which adds to that cinematic backbone but also lets you sort of drift along with the song in a way.
Even the tracks that have that vast and spacious underbelly like that also have some bits of color and edginess on the forefront which add to the drive of the track but what really sticks out here is the percussion as well.
The way the beats and percussion are done throughout this record is a little bit avant-garde but it works wonders for how the whole EP unfolds because at times, when the percussion feels a little scattered an experimental, those parts of the record come through intensified and this is done on purpose so that you can feel the waves of those intensities as they come and go.
To me, this also adds to that theatrical attribute that sticks strong throughout the record.
Throughout all this, you have some great guitar work as well as vocals that add a shine to everything. The way the guitars are done is not over the top and not too experimental like the synths or the beats, but they're also not your average guitar sections.
Some tracks come through as catchy pop songs with alternative hints and those lush but almost invasive sections that bring on that edginess.
I feel like there was a lot of attention to detail paid during the creation of this record, but it still never loses that sort of personality or character that it begins with in the first place and that might be the most important aspect of the entire thing honestly.
It seems almost like it's that character that takes you from song to song and the deeper into the EP you go, the more the story unfolds along with the music but the more you also get engulfed by the soundscape of everything.
It is indeed very easy to get engulfed by this record, but it feels great to do exactly that.
I feel like this is fantastical and it's meant as an escape to an extent, so it feels awesome to let yourself escape into this record.
The cool thing is it's only 13 minutes in length so even though the escape isn't a long time, it feels deepening in a way.
Strangely, this record feels like you just watched a short film or read a short book and each of the songs were like chapters in the book.
A very cool, colorful, experimental, vivacious, and engulfing release from Soft Construction, trial by water has fewer boundaries than you may be used to.
This is one of the things I enjoyed most about the record. I began to expect the unexpected by the third track.
This is a record that you listen to as a whole. From start to finish. Don't tell me you don't have 13 minutes to do so. It's well worth your time.
Dive deep into this one and see how it affects you.
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