Echo Lake is a combination of two brothers (Joe and Dan Henley) and one close friend (Matt Oakman) who, collectively, have created an homage to fellow Brit-Rockers (and cult favorites) Hundred Reasons & Hell Is For Heroes whilst incorporating the flair for melodramatic popular song so well coined by Jimmy Eat World. And they’ve done this, without being a sound-a-like band – the influences are unashamedly plain to see, but Echo Lake are not a carbon copy.
The Sink EP (digital release only) is a collection of four songs that possess, in equal parts, the best of good, melody driven pop-punk and balls-out, open string, rock. EP Opener (and title track) Sink is an unexpectedly crunching assault that wouldn’t have been out of place on one of the Biffy Clyro albums of old and, yet, swings effortlessly to sing along melodies - and that’s a theme that seems to play out through the whole EP.
There’s a trend in music, particularly rife among British bands right now, to try and sing unspeakably high and ditch your accent – and the ones that aren’t doing that, tend to be using their accent for evil a la The Wombats. Thankfully, Echo Lake don’t fall in to either of these categories; all three men have held on to their (real) accents and intonation – as a result the diction is spot on and incredibly relatable. There are one or two falsetto lines that aren’t so hot, but in a strange way it makes for a more interesting and more relatable piece of music – honesty is the best policy, after all.
Real standout tracks for me are ‘Untied’ (track 2), whose low tones and well-plotted lyrics seem to make it instantly re-listenable and the EP’s closer ‘Eyelids’ with it’s tinge of folk that rings vaguely of Mumford and Sons.
But, all in all, this four track EP houses the best of British rock music but with some owning to America; without bands like Jimmy Eat World and Something Corporate, they might not be so well rounded. But, as it happens, they are – the hooks are huge, the tracks are sing-along quality after a single listen and the group harmonies are spot on. You couldn’t ask for more from a debut really, could you?
The Sink EP (digital release only) is a collection of four songs that possess, in equal parts, the best of good, melody driven pop-punk and balls-out, open string, rock. EP Opener (and title track) Sink is an unexpectedly crunching assault that wouldn’t have been out of place on one of the Biffy Clyro albums of old and, yet, swings effortlessly to sing along melodies - and that’s a theme that seems to play out through the whole EP.
There’s a trend in music, particularly rife among British bands right now, to try and sing unspeakably high and ditch your accent – and the ones that aren’t doing that, tend to be using their accent for evil a la The Wombats. Thankfully, Echo Lake don’t fall in to either of these categories; all three men have held on to their (real) accents and intonation – as a result the diction is spot on and incredibly relatable. There are one or two falsetto lines that aren’t so hot, but in a strange way it makes for a more interesting and more relatable piece of music – honesty is the best policy, after all.
Real standout tracks for me are ‘Untied’ (track 2), whose low tones and well-plotted lyrics seem to make it instantly re-listenable and the EP’s closer ‘Eyelids’ with it’s tinge of folk that rings vaguely of Mumford and Sons.
But, all in all, this four track EP houses the best of British rock music but with some owning to America; without bands like Jimmy Eat World and Something Corporate, they might not be so well rounded. But, as it happens, they are – the hooks are huge, the tracks are sing-along quality after a single listen and the group harmonies are spot on. You couldn’t ask for more from a debut really, could you?
