Demos

Samsa - Sweet Disease EP

Owain Paciuszko 07/05/2009

Rating: 3/5

Leeds based indie-popsters Samsa precede their imminent debut LP with this sparky three-track EP.

Lead track Sweet Disease has some of the spit and indie-pop verve of early Radiohead, it's a catchy little track that even manages to pull off the traditional indie mainstay pre-final chorus instrumental guitar noodling bit with style. It's a familiar sounding song, it doesn't surprise you, but it's a great start to this record.

Shut Your Eyes has more of the Nada Surf 60's influenced vibe about it, lead singer Oli Deakin has a good indie-pop voice and the decent lyrics, and pacy instrumentation keep this track - despite its continued lack of newness - appealing and entertaining. Things go downbeat on Late for the Trains with vocals both halting and then cooing, in distinctly Muse-like fashion, and the guitars reveberating around over billowing drums much like a The Cure epic. They throw in some great backing vocals mid-way through the track that just improve as the song suddenly builds towards a spine-tinglingly magnificent climax, which, a little disappointingly doesn't turn into a full blown explosive indie-wig-out and instead cuts itself off just as it gets going.

Nevertheless, and despite certain sparks of individuality, this is a promising little EP.