ANOMALyS Release Their Debut EP & New Single (Irish Indie/Rock)
Named after a university physics experiment that yielded some unexpected results, ANOMALyS have stayed true to their name on their self-titled debut EP. Across the five tracks the EP covers a wide range of sonic territory from the sun-drenched jangle pop of ‘This Place’, to the chest thumping blues rock of ‘Clarion Call’ and the alt rock ballad of ‘Heard’. It’s an EP that is exhaustive in its exploration of ideas. Made all the more impressive by the fact that at its core ANOMALyS centre around the duo of Stephen Moreland on vocals, guitars and keyboards and Louis Orr on guitar.
Formed as the heavy curtain of covid began to lift in 2021, by 2022 Stephen and Louis were joined by Padraig Manning on bass and Luka Maxwell on drums. This led to the band winning the prestigious Clash of the New Breeds competition and following a number of shows they retreated to set about recording their debut EP. The band took a blended approach when it came to the recording of the EP. Choosing to record the drum tracks in Belfast based studio, Earth Music allowing them to make full use of the studio equipment and space to capture the drum sound. Guitars, bass and keyboards were recorded in a more DIY approach, with recordings taking place across late nights into early mornings in Stephen and Louis bedrooms and kitchen. Using the space to capture their unique sound. This approach only added to how personal the EP was to the band and bleed into the sound of the tracks. When it came time to mix and master the EP the band called upon long time friend Reece McGuiness of indie rockers Foreign Mornings to lend his sharpened ears to the tracks.
The EP opens with the lazy strum of ‘This Place’, a sun-drenched jangle pop song, complete with a ba-da ba-da infectious ear worm. Despite the jaunty light hearted sound of the track, which is reminiscent of the heady days of early 2000’s MTV2 UK indie rock bands, the lyrical content juxtaposes itself with a bleak outlook on modern city life. Taking on two perspectives within the song, moving seamlessly between a happy go lucky, sun in your face point of view. To casting a scathing eye over the city, speaking of a misspent youth, lost weekends and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Like an indie rock version of Lily Allen’s brutally honest Trip Advisor review of her home town LDN.
Second track ‘Golden Plague’ is the first track to make use of keys and synths, adding a new tonal texture underneath some Santana-esque guitar licks that lead into a heavy tom intro. ‘Golden Plague’ keeps the bouncy feel of ‘This Place’ but with a decidedly less sunny disposition. If ‘This Place’ was morning then ‘Golden Plague’ is the evening. The lyrics speak of a cut throat, dog-eat-dog approach to achieving the goals you’ve set yourself, a battle royale to reach the top. Again, ANOMALyS succeed at disguising intense lyrics under the trojan horse of catchy upbeat music, suckering the listener in by the promise of a good time only to be confronted with a brutal truth. The synths and keyboards that come in during the last third add an electro pop feel that takes the track to new places.
‘Clarion Call’ lets ANOMALyS live up to their name’s sake by taking a total stylistic left turn. Totally gone is the jaunty indie rock of previous tracks, having now been replaced by a whiskey-soaked growl and heavily distorted blues rock guitar. The song instantly conjures a million dive bars, inhabited by broken down, bleary eyed patrons, watching life slip away but with a deadmans grip on their perpetually empty bottle of Jack. A more stripped back approach to the instrumentation and production on this track allows the guitar work and vocals to shine through, pushed forward by the four on the floor kick drum and punctuated with the six shooter snare drum.
Fourth track ‘Heard’ acts as the sensitive, more reflective and self-aware cousin to ‘Clarion Call’. A soulful alt-rock ballad, that has swathes of nu-country southern rock running through it, with nods to 90’s Seattle giants Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains in their more acoustic and vulnerable moments. The interplay between Stephen and Louis’s guitars throughout the track amplifies the emotional thump delivered by the vocals. Stephen sings about the lack of empathy felt across the world today in people and the media, how at time when we are most connected its lead to the largest disconnect between people.
ANOMALyS tie up their debut release with lead single ‘Messiah (The Line)’, beginning with some guitar tapping acrobatics from Louis that give way to a heads down assault from the band with distortion cranked to 11, cymbals almost snapping under pressure and bass sounding like Godzilla stalking through Tokyo. Pulled back verses find Stephen setting the scene lyrically, an acidic dissection of misplaced power in those that only seek to use it to further their own agendas. This soured world view continues in the hook of the chorus, an assessment of the worshipping of false gods and idols, wiping the worlds eye with another freshly pressed bill. All delivered over the top of a massive southern rock tinged wall of guitars, bass and drums.
It’s clear across the EP that ANOMALyS often feel at odds with the world around them, using the band as their filter to help process the inequities and atrocities they see around them, both emotionally and physically. The band’s collaborative approach to their EP both in recording and mixing shows a reverence for the scene around them while ensuring that they’ve captured their unique sound and delivered with it clarity and vision. A debut that explores a wide sonic palette and isn’t afraid to branch out, melding genres and sounds to create something entirely their own.