EP REVIEW: Exposed – Bastette

The online movement of the ‘New Wave of Classic Rock’ has been a slowly growing community, sharing their favourite up and coming bands that not many places are talking about. Eventually, the sharing and discussion of music centred around that classic rock sound resulted in a full compilation album that featured many musicians that were talked about, including BASTETTE. After making a splash with their debut self-titled EP back in 2019, the group have conjured up more music for another EP, entitled Exposed. Have this band been hyped up just right, or have they peaked too early in their career?

The first track of the EP, Stand Back, starts the record off nicely, with a good use of compound time and rhythm giving the song a great groove and feel to get the ball rolling. The power and large sound of the music is matched by the weight of the lyrics which are equally strong. They create a self-confidence shown within the band which translates to the listener, making for a fierce first track to begin the EP. Talk About It, as featured on the New Wave Of Classic Rock Vol 1 compilation album, discusses open communication within a relationship, where the riff acts like butterflies in the vocalist’s stomach. The contrast between the verses and chorus works extremely well to show both sides of the conversation, and as the EP journeys through a toxic relationship this song hits especially hard and shows why it’s a stand out track on this record.

Sick & Twisted dives further into that theme of abusive and toxic relationships, starting soft but growing with each section musically, representing that kind of relationship through music. It’s dark, exquisite, lush, and very honest, especially when discussing something so horrible. This theme is continued into the next track, Rollercoaster, where the music becomes very heavy and gritty. This ballad is one powerhouse of a song and one that definitely deserves to be heard live. The lyrics go into the topic in the same depth as the previous tracks, and like the rest of the EP, it’s done in an eloquent and beautiful way. The final track, Poison, is a brilliant track to close out the EP, as all the elements blend excellently into a very well done hard rock song. Simple and effective, it’s another jammy song that shows how talented BASTETTE are as a band, especially with the theme at hand. 

Overall, it’s a stand out EP and works on top of what the debut self-titled EP laid out upon its release. Exposed dives into a very difficult topic that can be hard to talk about. BASTETTE handle the topic delicately, but also don’t shy away from how dark it can be, creating a really good balance between their exceptional rock style and their poetic lyrics. All five tracks are fantastic pieces of music and show this band is only getting better and better with each release. It will be exciting to see where they go next, but for now this is an excellent EP to listen to. 

Rating: 9/10

Exposed is set for release on September 17th via RPM Records.

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