A new EP release from The Word66 hits a lush and classic rock soundscape that feels open and breezy at times but incredibly honest and packed with character as vocal sore along with guitar sections and the tonality of everything creates an atmosphere for you to just step right into.
The record release came in the form of four separate singles dropped one at a time each with something a little bit different to offer.
"Just To Show My Love" is the type of song that you know came from a chapter in the singer's life and everything about it feels genuine and authentic but it also has some great classic feeling backing vocal harmonies that float in and out, lots of great musical and vocal hooks, and a very particular way of sounding almost theatrical at times.
What's great about this is it gives you a little bit of a hint of some of the aspects of what you can expect from this record but by the time you get to the second song you already realize that you can start to expect the unexpected if you're smart.
There are plenty of consistencies in the record is very confluent especially vocally but when it comes down to it the next track that was released called "Tonight Is The Night" hits with a much heavier backbone as the guitars are crunchier and more distorted, there's an alternative rock heir to it and the whole thing sounds massive and vast.
This track I really enjoyed because it's like stepping into a completely different world for a moment in time and you can kind of forget your own reality for that time.
Then we have songs like "The Chosen One" which in a strange way kind of simplifies things a little bit more focusing on open chords and vocals.
This one feels more inspired by '90s grunge to me and even just the tonality of the guitars on this track have that vibe going on.
I love being able to feel and hear some of the different influences that this band has had showing up in the songs this way because you can tell the kind of bands that were important to them.
The most recent of the bunch is called "How Will I Know" and this one takes us back to that slightly theatrical and crisp classic rock vibe in the form of a sort of power ballad.
This is quite a beautiful song Not only in the way that it's textured and sounds but and its arrangement as well.
This truck has a full string section accompanying it so it does come through with a little bit of added intensity and emotion at certain times with gorgeous harmonies that blend and melt into each other.
To me this track gave the record maybe a little closer and all the songs together feel like they do tell a bit of a story which makes this a concept record.
Of course it could be completely wrong about that but what I do know is, these songs do interconnect in different ways and they feel so full-bodied and packed with heart and authenticity.
A lot of these allow you to picture images in your head and storylines as they unravel which is all impressive but I think you can tell that everyone involved with this project has a real love for their craft and I don't just mean their instruments, I mean the craft of writing songs and putting them out there.
A lot about this record boasted a character-riddled rock opus and with all the different undertones and themes involved, I enjoyed that somewhat cinematic and theatrical attribute.
Check out these songs when you get a chance especially if you're a fan of rock music that has added layers of creativity and animation, color and character, gusto and edginess.
Everything about this was gracefully performed and I'm going to give this a 9 out of 10 without question.