EP REVIEW: Paradise In The Dirt – Syren City

Hailing from the southwest, Bristol’s own SYREN CITY spent recent years carving themselves a name on the local circuit but have since started searching for greener pastures. Having already released material previous, what the band have started for themselves here could make them a very interesting venture for anyone. Releasing an episodic conceptual idea through a number of EP releases, they’ve started this challenging venture with Paradise In The Dirt, a three-song introduction into SYREN CITY’s world of heavy harmony.

Opening with It’s Morphine Time the band are quick to assert some sort of dominance with the heaviest of the three tracks by a considerable margin. These three songs are clearly here to help define the sound of SYREN CITY, allowing them the ability to build upon these base sounds of further releases. The opening riff is savage, and the vocals bounce and add to the already dangerously high energy. The lyrics are intriguing enough to make you want to listen, but at this point the concept is too young and vague to fully talk about.

Danielle slows down the pace immediately, but begins to set an interesting ambience with its opening melodies and brooding vocals. It opens up rather suddenly but it serves the song well, allowing for the track to rest on its strong chorus. The crying chords during the bridge aid the atmosphere the song does so well in setting, and the twisted laughs thrown in before the final chorus are an excellent touch and add a nice layer to the track.

Finishing the EP with a song that sounds far more familiar, 10,000 Knives serves as a good exclamation point for the band to finish on. The energy is high, the chorus is huge and there’s enough angst to make you want to move about. It pretty much ticks every box in the ‘how to writer a catchy rock song’ and that’s good to a point, as whilst the song is great to listen to, it does put the bands creativity and willingness to try newer sounds in question.

What SYREN CITY have done with Paradise In The Dirt is write a pretty good EP that displays what the band are about well, albeit from a safe distance. The music is certainly good, but feels too safe. It would appear that all SYREN CITY need is to begin thinking outside the box and do it with the same confidence that they display here and they’ll be onto a winner.

Rating: 7/10

Paradise In The Dirt is set for release on June 24th 2016

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