EP REVIEW: Searching – I, The Mapmaker

It’s always a big moment when your first release of music sees the light of day; you’ve probably being sitting on it for a few months, counting down the days, hours, minutes etc until the clock finally ticks round to midnight on that special Friday and it’s out in the open. For Southampton and Bournemouth outfit I, THE MAPMAKER, that occasion has arrived, because today sees their self-released debut EP hit all digital media platforms; it’s entitled Searching and was produced by Lewis Johns, who also oversaw the new releases by CANVAS and ROLO TOMASSI this year.

For a band that have been together less than two years, it’s a bold move to bring out a six-track EP that not only has a personal meaning behind each track but a full concept running underneath the surface as well. However, this isn’t I, THE MAPMAKER‘s first rodeo; they’ve all played in other groups before now and that experience has really come in handy here. Opening track Ghostwalker sees Ash Emery‘s clean vocals soar over the guitars of Josh Graham and Nathan Kimber, which ring out and provide an expansive feel and serious layers; the production also has a rawness about it that is reminiscent of the early punk stylings of ENTER SHIKARI to boot. The two-parter of 1933 is another statement of intent; the first is heavy and emotional with hints of TOUCHE AMORE, the latter is mellower and ambient, a nice change in pace and allows the record to breath a bit, giving the listener time to process the first half fully.

Fourth track Disbelief segues straight in from 1933 Pt. 2 and brings the tempo back up thanks to a cracking rhythm performance from drummer Jonny Browning and bassist Perry Emmery; it also contains a serious amount of bounce and a lovely guest spot from Justine Jones of EMPLOYED TO SERVE fame. Capsized is possible the weakest track on the record but is still a very good piece of music, its sparse bridge with poetic spoken singing a wonderful touch. That spoken word motif returns in the closing title track and adds some serious weight to proceedings, with the outro – delivered in the guise of a gentleman called Ordnance vowing to right wrongs – adding a hint of mystery to the EP as a whole, tempting a much bigger storyline and release to come.

This is a band with serious potential and Searching is a solid, well-executed starting point for I, THE MAPMAKER to build on and go to the next level very quickly. Keep your eyes on them.

Rating: 7/10

Searching is out now via self-release.

Like I, THE MAPMAKER on Facebook.