Echo Tail - A Brief Escape From Life
Echo Tail are an alternative rock band from Cambridge, UK. Blending the domains of grunge, shoegaze, progressive and hard rock, Echo Tail stand on their own with a crisp yet familiar sound. Their latest album, A Brief Escape From Life, is a commendable addition to their discography.
Tessaiga/Aurora opens the album with a heavy, yet dreamy aesthetic that feels larger than life. The beautiful soundscape is surprisingly impactful, accentuated by its lush IDM-influenced outro. Any time the album explores such soundscapes, such as during the opener and Dilation, it exceeds. The album mostly opts for rather formulaic pieces, such as Under the Shade and Tired of Being Tired; though to the credit of the artist, these pieces are still as emotionally impactful as they are rocking, mostly thanks to their powerful, ferocious climaxes. Echo Tail work best when they’re able to balance the standard verse structures with powerful instrumental outros, such as the riveting Umbra. Lastly, Luminous’ vocals are full of passion and character. The saxophone steals the steal the show and should have been considered more for the remaining album.
Sometimes the artist relies too heavily on aesthetics to carry the song, and these verse sections pale in comparison to the highs. This can be easily identified on a song such as Dilation, which otherwise boasts an impeccable atmosphere constructed by neat mixing, and a fascinating outro to suit. Since the sound has been explored before, some sections of the track listing sound too unfocused or cheesy, such as the underdeveloped Existence, or the boring, formulaic closer. One can only hope Echo Tail take more risks in their verse-chorus-etc structure on their next release, as well as the range in noise.
While Echo Tail may sound far too much like their influences, they exceed in talent and execution more than other similar acts of the 20’s. Not only is the professionalism at a high standard; there’s an overwhelming amount of passion present. Sure, the blend of genres may not be wholly unique, but it’s Echo Tail’s ability to seamlessly switch between them that is equally as impressive. There is a caveat for future releases; a lack of a unique sound will impare Echo Tail’s ability to rise above from the competition; no matter how well they execute their sound, it’ll fail to stand out unless it can offer something new. Thankfully, A Brief Escape From Life is powerfully captivating and offers a lot on its own, thanks to the lead acoustic and vocal performances. One can’t help wonder why Echo Tail didn’t explore the shoegazey soundscapes of the opener, or the saxophone of Luminous further; here’s hoping they do on their next release.
Really Good
Listen to it here:
Echo Tail - A Brief Escape From Life
