From the crash of drums and furious guitar that open “Matching Scars,” Free Electric State lays forth a manifesto of tough rock anthems with textured melodies and pounding rhythms that drive you through without any filler.
What makes Caress, the Durham band’s debut LP, so successful is the band’s nuanced ability to change certain elements of their sound while maintaining a cohesive theme.
Free Electric State flirts with shoegaze in the album’s first half, churning out songs densely packed with reverb and dueling guitars. It’s a sound with both lush pop sensibilities and heavier rock. They prove equally adept at peeling back the noise to focus on clearer, more agile melodies that twist around each other frantically, never letting your ears or mind wander.
Music Review
Free Electric State
Caress
Rock
Dive Verdict:4 of 5 Stars
This even holds true in the seven-minute thundering “Marshes.” It toys with a changing tempo and a swirling mass of guitars that evolve into a salute to ’60s and ’70s psychedelic. Another element that makes Free Electric State’s sounds so intriguing is the strong vocals of bassist Shirlé Hale. She doesn’t take lead vocals on every song, sometimes just adding more depth from the background. When the songs do focus on her voice, however, it adds a mountain of soul and passion.
Clocking in at 45 minutes, is a short experience, but what it lacks in length, it clearly makes up for in powerful, lush sound. They don’t just go out in a blaze of glory. They refuse to let the power die, and in turn, you’ll refuse to stop listening.
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