Zola Blood
Meridian
October 20 2014 (Pond Life Songs)
7.5/10
Words: Alison Mack
As a band that has been much vaunted over this year for their indie electronics, with debut single 'Grace' and follow-up 'Meridian' earning the London-based act attention and further praise, Zola Blood now step up to the plate with a four-track EP, which includes both the aforementioned plus two new works.
Minimal, intricately arranged and diligently produced, for those who opt for this type of electronic manoeuvring 'Meridian' may well represent contemporary creativity. The comparisons to Temper Trap and Foals cannot be disputed, but there is much more of the coldly clinical to the execution by this group, and while Zola Blood's vocalist Matt is to the fore throughout, his is a distanced, disconnected vocal presence.
Opener 'Grace' leads on it's synth trajectory, whirring and burping it drives the track forward with a minimal beat, echoing guitar arpeggios and clean, crisp vocal that all sound disjointed, yet surprisingly it all hangs together. New track 'Leaves' provides some innovative electronically arranged sounds, with overlaid synth textures and adding dynamic. The title track of the EP (and the first song written by the band) relies on heavily reverbed vocals and ethereal percussion; while final track, and possibly one of the EP's most appealing, 'Eyes Open', revolves around arpeggiated synth patterns and a regular drum beat, but here there has been incorporated some laid-back electric guitar and a penetrating guitar solo to round off.
While both 'Grace' and 'Eyes Open' individually draw one in on their electronic waves, when taken as a four-pack collection the 'Meridian' EP as a whole does start to feel all a little too much of a muchness, with diversity being in short supply. That said, however, it's nonetheless a fairly commendable debut.
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