A new EP release from Sick As Thieves comes through with a gritty underbelly and an energy that's completely unstoppable along with character-riddled songwriting, cinematic tonality, and a soundscape that wraps itself around you and keeps you right where it wants to.
The Lady Jane EP runs the gambit of rock bangers that carry with them a persona and presence that keep you incredibly engaged with addictive riffs and a vast undertone, and this is what I mean when I say something like cinematic for example.
I can definitely see these songs and scenes of films or TV shows for example, and they just carry with them this aura that lets the songs feel really big and almost anthemic at times.
There's a lot of catchiness and certainly plenty of attention to detail throughout the creation of this record but it has a certain kind of soul that never gets lost.
One of my favorite things about this whole record is the energy level because it's captured so well on record that it makes you want to see them live and to an extent, I automatically felt like some of these songs were recorded live on the floor because it just simply feels like the players are feeding off of each other's energies the entire time and I was right to an extent because there are two songs on the record that are alive.
This includes a cover of "House of the Rising Sun" (Live) and it's done with a very unique style that works as an ode to the original but with an extra edginess that also serves as part of the staple sound for this band themselves.
So, think about that for example. To cover a song like that you have to have bursting soul in the vocals and these guys present plenty of that, but they also show a love for their craft, and I don't just mean they're instruments, I mean the craft of songwriting and performing.
To be able to cover a song like this you have to have a real love for not just the song itself, but for the genre.
My favorite track off of this record is the first one which is the title track "Lady Jane" because it introduces you to the band really well with bendy and swirling guitar riffs that let the song feel alive and breathing along with these classic rock style organs in the background that build an atmosphere.
It's got driving drums and intense vocals which all come through with that same character and that is something you get quite attached to.
This is a great thing because they never lose that character throughout the whole record.
I would certainly love to see these guys perform live because they just have such incredible presence and the whole EP is a wonderful dynamic balance between the energy, edginess, and color.
Nothing about these songs feels cookie cutter or empty although they do come through really catchy because a lot of these hooks on choruses end up bouncing around in your head for hours or even days after the songs have ended and to me, that's just really smart songwriting because the only way to satiate that is to play the songs again.
I think this is just how they write naturally though.
Some of this record is lush with added instrumentation and certain tracks have quite a punch to the gut type of approach.
This was an endlessly fun EP and I'm going to keep a lookout for anything else coming from sick as thieves from here on out. But don't take my word for it, check out the EP for yourself.
A great record. Period.
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