EP REVIEW: Coming Up For Air – Praise

PRAISE took a different approach to the recording process for their surprise new EP Coming Up For Air. Instead of being meticulous about the details, along with using all the resources to make it sound intricate and layered as they did for their last album All Is A Dream, the melodic hardcore outfit decided to lean into a more natural recording process that flowed more easily from the band members recording in the same room.

The result is three tracks that are all under three minutes long. The opening title track is an up-beat rock song that never runs out of steam thanks to its mid-tempo pacing. Good Grief is the opposite. A fast-paced and guitar-driven song, the band show that they are not just a one-trick pony even on an EP as short and focused as this one.

The production is brilliant. It makes sure that all the songs have their own individual sound and don’t overlap, as is best exemplified in the comparison between the aforementioned Good Grief and the third song and closer Chasing Colours. The tracks have their sonic similarities, but the pacing of the latter is more mid-tempo again – just like the opener in what makes for a nice full circle moment.

Overall, Coming Up For Air is quite simply a brilliant EP. Even though it is only three songs long, the variety within them ensures that it doesn’t sound too short. The tracks each have their own sound, but they also all fit together sonically. By choosing the natural recording route of all being in the same room, PRAISE have successfully created an EP that flows really well and in which none of the songs overwhelm one another. It will fit in nicely in the band’s discography and keep the old fans happy, but is also a great place to start for anyone looking to get into them.

Rating: 9/10

Coming Up For Air is out now via Revelation Records.

Like PRAISE on Facebook.