EP REVIEW: Funky Queen – Black Mirrors

In what looks to be the makings of a big year for music, more and more bands are looking to come through and stamp their mark in the world of rock. Napalm Records have a band just like that on their books – BLACK MIRRORS. The Belgian group have recently released their EP, Funky Queen. Even though there are only four songs on the record, it gives a taste of what to expect from the group in the future.

The EP begins with the title track, Funky Queen. Straight away there is a distinct sound which is frequent throughout the whole record; if you put together the music of ROYAL BLOOD and MUSE, then that is what the end result would sound like. Add that to the vocals of Marcella Di Troia, and it really makes you sit up and listen.

The second track, Kick Out The Jam, goes down the hard rock route a bit more compared to the first. It’s hard, loud and fast – pretty much the key ingredients and what you want from a rock anthem. This track also showcases the skills of guitarist Pierre Lateur, which really stand out throughout.

The Mess is the penultimate track on the EP, and takes another different turn compared to the first two in that it is much slower and more psychedelic for want of a better word. This time it is the bass of Gino Caponi that stands out the most. The sound of this track is also very similar to ARCTIC MONKEYS, which shows the diversity of the band. Funky Queen concludes with Canard Vengeur Masqué. This is the longest of the four tracks on the EP, and is much like The Mess in terms of the overall sound and the way the song has been executed by the band. Unlike the others though, this track doesn’t particularly stand out; it’s not a bad track, but compared to the other three it is probably the weaker of the quartet.

Overall, the whole blend is a mix of garage, hard and alternative rock; normally when you get a blend like that it doesn’t work, and the sound of the whole record is brought down by that. However, BLACK MIRRORS have made it work exceptionally well for them. Whether the band decides to release a full album or not remains to be seen, but from what they have already released, there is a lot of promise for the band.

Rating: 7/10

Funky Queen is out now via Napalm Records.

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