Reading based band The Gold Supply, comprising Lena Wroblewska on vocals, Kevin Baxter on vocals, guitars, bass and piano, and Adam Rowe on drums, formed during the Covid-19 pandemic and are shortly releasing their debut EP, Open Lines. Influenced by Massive Attack, Portishead, Bjork and The Verve, amongst others, the EP combines an eclectic range of sounds that come together to make a dream like, ambient sound that is really rather beautiful.
The stand out track is ‘Something Like You‘, a song that isn’t about someone else but about it’s about yourself, asking if you are happy with yourself, would you choose to be your friend, or would you be in a relationship with someone like you. With it’s intense synth laden bass rhythms and frenetic tempo, the song has huge danceability.
The EP kicks off with a catchy song, ‘Let It Go‘ that rages against the world and against the usually well meant phrase, “let it go” in relation to the anger stage of grief. The indie sound on this track lends itself to the seemingly raw anger that comes out in the music. From this anger we morph into the bleak world of addiction with ‘No Addiction’, a song that starts gently before giving way to a harsh, thumping refrain and rock as the song progresses. There are no endings or suggestions on addiction here and the Polish spoken word from Lena just emphasises the bleakness.
‘Never the Same Again‘ is different again, having a flowing, more melodic structure and the title fits the album as a whole – no two songs are the same or even similar, as borne out by the last song, ‘Our Last Few Days‘. This deals with the schoolyard game where you talk about what you’d do if the world was going to end. As the band says, this “usually involved talk of having a massive pool party in Costa Rica with all the cool kids in the year above you, or maybe going on a road trip to smoke the best drugs on the planet.”
Open Lines is a great debut from a promising band; they have created something that reflects the communal yet intensely personal experience we have all encountered in the last two years and, as such, there is more than a touch of melancholy throughout. I look forward to seeing what they do next. The band’s advice for aspiring artists is all about ignoring the naysayers:
“The narrative on starting a band seems to be a bit negative at the moment: a lot of live music venues closed permanently due to Covid lockdowns. It seems that the public are much less likely to go out to see live bands at the moment and streaming services have reduced the amount of money you can make as a new band. But, let’s be clear. Starting a band is just about the best thing you can ever do! It’s fun, it’s exciting and it’s a great excuse to spend more time with people that you would want to spend time with. It’s also easier than it’s ever been: eBay is packed with really cheap and high quality instruments and the quality of free, online music lessons is amazing. On top of that, all of the social media channels and small, niche online radio stations make it easy to get your music heard globally. You’ll need some good songs, a good video of you playing and some good photos to help you stand out from the competition. Don’t target the big labels yet, find a small niche label or promoter that likes what you do – they have amazing knowledge and experience that will help you. Enjoy it, make music with your friends that you are proud of and then spend days and weeks inventing song titles and t-shirt designs! What’s not to like?”
Open Lines is released on 29 April on Analogue Trash. Get your copy here.
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