The Reveres: ‘Pale’ – EP Review

 

Musical magic is a hard thing to produce. That’s why it’s rare. The alchemy that happens when a bunch of people get together to make something new, fresh, a sound that even they didn’t expect to make but one that came naturally when they strapped on their guitars and faced each other for the first time, that there is a precious thing and it should be treasured, nurtured, so that it reaches its full potential. If only it was easy. If only it was common. Imagine the music we’d have if it was.

 

Unfortunately it’s not. The majority of the time when a bunch of people get together to make something new and fresh they end up sounding exactly like the influences that inspired them to get together in the first place. A tribute band in all but name. Then you’ve two options. Stay still or evolve. Keep on knocking out generic indie song after generic indie song and hope to get noticed through sheer dogged determination, or grow. Become something new, something strange and beautiful. But precious few bands get the time they need to evolve. Time is bought with success so they have to build their fanbase from day one. They can’t be kept in a cellar for three years until they mature, they’re thrust into the soundcloud spotlight as soon as their first record’s done, often well before they’re ready. Well before their time.

 

It’s tough being in a band these days. So much pressure…

 

 

Still, there’s no escaping the fact that the EP “Pale” by the Reveres is utterly derivative. They’re on record as loving The Smiths, Oasis, B.R.M.C etc, and they sound exactly as you’d expect with these influences so I won’t bother describing it any further. There’s nothing distinctive or surprising here at all really, just a blandly produced genre knock-off with all the dials set to 5. No attitude, no spark, no originality. “Pale” is a good description actually. Even their appearance is straight from the generic indie-kid shelf, styled to look perfect for their first NME cover. That’s not to say that they won’t develop over time, become something more than they are, but given the competition they face, the pressure for instant success, I don’t rate their chances.  Sorry to knock a band from my home town but having a new EP, skinny jeans, and a multi-faceted social media strategy will only get you so far.

 

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