EP REVIEW: 5 Notes – Trial Tapes
Indie-rock project, TRIAL TAPES, have put out their debut EP 5 Notes. Created by Jack McNally, the project itself is meant to act as reflection of radical personal change from returning to Liverpool after living in Brighton for a decade, now fully out as a queer individual with a reconnection to music. According to Jack, the music is a form of self-affirmation, and represents emotions relating to love, vulnerability, and just a little bit messy as one comes to expect from life and its endless twists and turns.
Opening the EP is slowpoke, a more laidback indie-rock piece that features a composition that sounds a little unpolished and clunky, yet that’s the whole point, giving it a fun, quirky side. It’s certainly a pleasant track but maybe not one that stands out amongst the rest. One thing you’ll immediately notice though is how the entire record seems to perfectly suit a warm summer’s day, with each song representing a different moment from the hot season. With the previous track, it seems more suited for a chill day sitting in the garden, whilst the next song, 42 seems more suited for an evening party with some friends with the lowkey sounds and vocals that start out in the background before coming to the forefront with a fuzz-rock style and catchy beats. A step up to be sure.
Whilst Coughing Fits and Leopard Print Skulls seem more grounded in the psychedelic pop genre intertwined with dreamy elements, the latter of the two being more so inspired by 60s psychedelic pop-rock heard on albums like THE BEATLES’ Sgt. Pepper that, much like the aforementioned record, uses carnival sounds in the opening and ending notes. But in both cases, it’s something to enjoy with a glass of wine as you close your eyes and sway along to the beat. And the final track Sliding is heaviest on the record with a distorted scream that makes a few appearances at different points of the song that is certainly attention grabbing.
A pleasant-sounding EP that sounds to have been a lot of joy to create, an emotion that we have a shared experience with when listening.
Rating: 7/10
5 Notes is out now via self-release.
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