Loose is a scintillating alt-rock track that shines by virtue of a taut instrumentation and a set of vocals that link together the styles of Gwen Stefani and Bjork. Smoke Season is able to have a number of distinct threads running through the entirety of the track, but is ultimately talented enough to make everything work together in perfect harmony.
When The Smoke Clears immediately will catch listeners’ attentions through a unique challenge to time signatures. The track gradually shifts into a more low-key, funky affair that has a fun shift to Gabrielle’s vocals. As the vocals shift into a more ethereal, nearly-haunting style, the percussion provide the perfect counterpoint. A slower tempo establishes Emilia as another distinct chapter in Smoke Season’s biography. The vocals pull double duty here as they not only provide a narrative anchor for listeners but add to the overall harmonies established by the instrumentation. This organic sound crafted here does much to showcase to fans the sheer breadth of what Smoke Season brings to the table.
Santa Rosa is a darkly emotive track that has all the bravado of a Broadway production with the same laser-like focus paid by students of a master class. The raw fire in which the vocals are laid down here has no parallel, with this pinnacle giving up ground to the final track on the EP. Ouroboros ends with a stellar sub-minute outro that both ties up any loose ends that were scattered around on the previous songs as well as sets the stage for the follow-up to the release. Smoke Season tell as varied and voluminous of a story here in the course of 6 tracks that bands struggle to do on albums with twice the run time.
Top Tracks: Santa Rosa, When The Smoke Clears
Smoke Season – Ouroboros EP / 2016 Self / 6 Tracks / https://www.facebook.com/SmokeSeason/ / https://twitter.com/smokeseasonband
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.
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