EP REVIEW: Under One Roof – Your Life & Mine

There’s no reason to make any bones about it. What a fantastic EP. Under One Roof’s opener B.E.T.H (the best kind of subtlety is none at all, lads) is a firm handshake of a first track and introduces a widely sought-after and widely missed trait for so many bands, a trait that this band have in spades; YOUR LIFE & MINE can write one hell of a chorus. This is a band that know ‘fast’ isn’t everything. They manage to balance the more easygoing and heartfelt moments of Under One Roof with a percussive energy that keeps up momentum, all whilst maintaining an anthemic chorus in pretty much every song.

Run Away is a lighters-in-the-air song with an off-your-feet chorus and is a prime example of the effortlessly grief-stricken vocals of Bill Hobson. Hobson has clearly poured his heart into Under One Roof, balancing despondency and hope with grace. This is very reminiscent of bands like YOUNG GUNS, BLITZ KIDS and FRANCESQA – huge choruses painted on a relatively simple but fantastically effective musical canvas.

This is followed up by We Said We Were Happy. Whilst perhaps being the most ‘by the book’ track on this EP, it is by no means a miss. The songwriting skill of YOUR LIFE & MINE is naked and on display throughout Under One Roof and the emotion behind We Said We Were Happy is as clear here as it is anywhere else on this record. These songs would be just as sincere if they were totally stripped back to just Hobson and an acoustic guitar or a piano. There comes a point where bands are capable of transcending ‘genre’ and simply producing great songs. YOUR LIFE & MINE have undoubtedly achieved that here. EP closer Tremble is utterly hypnotising. The slow-burn from a heavily delayed, boundless soundscape to the heartbreaking chorus is as gentle as much as it is a total emotional sucker-punch.

The pacing of this EP is masterful. It peters out pretty soon after fifteen minutes, but Under One Roof feels like an album. There’s a sense of depth here that suggests longevity; YOUR LIFE & MINE are going to do very big, very special things.

Rating: 9/10

Under One Roof is out now via self-release. 

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