EP REVIEW: Inner Life – Avee Mana

The Marseille représentatives of France’s budding psychedelic garage scene, AVEE MANA, have never been ones to sit idly, using their music to amalgamate all the various and complex emotions that we all experience. Blending punchy indie rhythms with the luscious layers of psychedelia and raw power of garage, their more pop-focused debut EP Who The F… Is Francky Jones brought the band to the scene’s attention with surprisingly contemporary 1960s influenced poppy garage rock. However, the French quartet change up the direction and tone on the follow-up Inner Life, shedding the shackles of single genre confinement.

There is definitely a grungier element to Inner Life; it was borne out of a need to create a more powerful and raw sound, something it certainly delivers on. It sees AVEE MANA move away from the dreaminess of Who The F… Is Francky Jones, yet they still hold on to the wavy psychedelia that is at the core of their sound. Inner Life has dominant vibe and executes it with AVEE MANA’s signature flamboyance.

As a result, there is a higher intensity that transcends the EP, and tracks such as Witchraft and I’m A Toy have an earthy grittiness with pop melody sensibilities. If You Want Me has an old school NIRVANA vibe to it with melancholic guitar melodies and jangly chords. The shining light on the EP however is the nine-and-a-half-minute epic Bending Sky, a PINK FLOYD-esque musical journey through weaving melodies, all-encompassing bass lines and driving drums.

Even though AVEE MANA have shaken things up in terms of their direction, Inner Life is ultimately only a slightly more punchy outing than their last EP. Across the 28 minutes you’re treated to some wonderfully crafted, luscious melodies and chilled out vibes perfect for a day in the summer sun.

Rating: 7/10

Inner Life is set for release on May 5th via Hazard Records.

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