[Review] eagleowl - Into the Fold EP

When a band describes themselves as anti-noise or anti-drum many it is assume the music to follow would be delicate and, naturally, quiet. Edinburgh based eagleowl have been honing this craft for a good while now and are set to release their third EP, 'Into the Fold', on April 30th.

The title track is a 6 minute lo-fi lament. Bart Owl's quiet and timid vocals are reminiscent to those on the bands most famous song 'Blanket', in that they add a layer of intrigue and heartbreak to the song. Slowly strummed guitar accompanied by strings add to the odd euphoria of this slow-paced folk, letting it creep into your brain and stay there. Contrast this with 'Morpheus' and you get a stark juxtaposition of moods. 'Morpheus' is relatively upbeat for the band, featuring looping ukelele and far more urgent vocals, while still retaining a haunting quality. A lo-fi folk lullaby if you will. The beautiful instrumental 'Ear Hats' makes the perfect transition between 'Morpheus' and the slower paced 10 minute long 'No Conjunction', which is far similar to the title track. This wraps the EP up with a nice sense of coherence, giving it listenability and attainability.

Eagleowl may, for some, be a difficult band to get into. 'Into the Fold' is undeniably beautiful, delicate and yet it packs a punch (albeit a slow one, a John Woo punch) straight to the heart and ears of any listener. Their best yet. As the climatic vocals in 'No Conjunction' say 'when you get there don't look back'.

Stream the whole of 'Into the Fold' here