EP REVIEW: Into The Ceiling – Oversize

With so much innovation and reinvention happening in modern music, it’s often easy to forget the pioneers and progenitors that paved the way for new bands to form and find their niche. There is no such peril with OVERSIZE and their new EP Into The Ceiling. Combining 90s alt rock and shoegaze with a touch of Britpop and dialling up the grunge, these four tracks evoke some of the most influential names in guitar music and bring them into 2022 with aplomb.

Of course, OVERSIZE aren’t the first to use this kind of formula, and straight away, opener Distant Light sounds like something straight from the BASEMENT back catalogue. A low key opening verse launches into a massive chorus that sounds tailor-made for big crowd singalongs, and we’re off and running. There’s also a gorgeous bridge that slows all the way down and visits an incredibly dreamy, shoegazey place. Here the guitar tone wraps around you like a cosy blanket before it’s ripped away for one final round of that catchy chorus. 

That warmth though is something that remains a constant throughout Into The Ceiling. Friendly and inviting, it makes you want to stay here for as long as possible, like visiting an old friend you don’t see as often as you’d like. The production on this EP provides a cocoon by making everything sound full-bodied and inescapable, whether it’s delicately plucked guitar lines that ring out into the aether, or full band outbursts. Production this rich is a luxury, so savour it.

The final two tracks begin to lean a bit more into that Britpop element; the opening verse of Wasted Soul is reminiscent of the likes of THE STONE ROSES, and Dissolve folds in some stadium-sized singalongs without ever doing anything too flashy. The overriding feeling though is that OVERSIZE have played it safe here to close the EP, and while they’re still infectious and enjoyable songs, you’re left wanting more from them.

Another tantalising outing then for OVERSIZE. With two solid EPs now under their belts, the question shifts to whether they can create a full-length that can deliver on a similar level. Don’t be shocked if you hear these tunes ringing out across festival fields soon.

Rating: 7/10

Into The Ceiling is set for release on October 21st via Church Road Records (Europe) and Quiet Panic (North America).

Like OVERSIZE on Facebook.