EP REVIEW: Sunbleached - I Crawled Into the Hole

Released 30 August

Independent

Things just keep getting bigger and better for Sunbleached. The independent Brisbane quartet had a dreamy start to the year when they opened proceedings at the Brisbane New Bloom Festival ahead of bands such as Movements, Touché Amoré and Citizen. Now, five months later, they are playing a string of east coast regional shows alongside Boston Manor ahead of the release of their newest EP, I Crawled Into The Hole.

The EP opens with the quintessential alt-rock track ‘No Cure for Life’, the first single released from the EP back in February. A catchy, poppy hook forms the backdrop for strong and appropriately harsh vocals from Josh Baker. I’m a big fan of a good bridge, and the bridge of this song is right up there, providing a welcome reprieve from the intensity of the chorus, slowly rebuilding before exploding into a final chorus. ‘White Lace’ continues the EP in a similar fashion with a sunny and upbeat twist, with a twinkly guitar riff and strong drumbeat driving the song forwards. Clocking in at under three minutes, this is a very straightforward and to the point song that left me wanting more.

The EP then takes an angrier turn with third track, ‘Beware of the Dog‘. Similar to ‘No Cure For Life,’ verses dominated by the rhythm section give way to a full-band chorus with harsh vocals. As a bassist myself, I appreciate the prominence of the rhythm section and the inclusion of interesting and variable basslines, however by this stage the band’s songwriting formula is beginning to become apparent. This song would be great to jump along to live, and I hope it makes an appearance on Sunbleached’s setlist moving forward.

‘It Makes Me Sick’ brings with it a change of pace, stepping into the melancholy in a manner reminiscent of Deftones. This is another song that left me wanting more, with a singular musical idea and truncated song structure making the song seem much shorter than it actually is. Something about this song feels ‘final’ and would have been a great choice for a closing track for the EP, with the extended fade in and fade out– perhaps the band didn’t want to end the release on a downer.

‘Hell is Repetition’ sends the EP off with a bang, returning to the classic alt rock sound. This track, while more upbeat than its predecessor, has a reflective tone and introduces more of a hardcore influence through an intense breakdown. Unfortunately throughout much of the EP, I found it difficult to discern the vocals and lyrics, with the more delicate vocal deliveries easily overpowered by the instruments.

In their third EP, Sunbleached demonstrate without question that they have cracked the code for writing catchy, anthemic alt rock, harking back to the glory days of the early 2010s. Although this EP isn’t particularly risky or groundbreaking, it is a solid offering from an independent band, serving the purpose of solidifying the band’s identity and paving the way towards what appears to be a promising future for the band.

Next up, Sunbleached will be appearing at the BIGSOUND showcase in Brisbane from September 3-6, followed by two dates supporting Late November in South East Queensland in late September.

Rating: 7/10

Review By Gabrielle Morri

Pre-save I Crawled Into the Hole here