Elim Bolt
Nude South EP
Rock
Hailing from the humid, Southern-saturated counterculture of Charleston, the four-piece band Elim Bolt has produced a richly layered debut work of admirable sonic depth with the Nude South EP.
The album opens with “Only You,” a doo-wop tinged mid-tempo song that first exhibits the band’s reverb-soaked sonic textures. This effect permeates the track, as well as the rest of the record, but in a tasteful, vintage way, as opposed to the gaudy circa-1980s application of such effects.
From here, the rich sound of the record moves to the rocker “Field”, which leans heavily on the use of Pixies-esque “loud to soft” dynamics. The huge chorus, complete with multiple guitars and powerful vocals, leaves the listener satisfied in climactic fashion. However, the song reinforces one of the most prominent downsides of the album: The listener’s inability to discern the lyrics amid the waves of instruments and reverb.
This concern aside, the album shines again with the song “Farm Kid.” This single-worthy track contains an anthemic guitar riff that one could imagine hearing on an early Killers record.
Later on, the track “Myers Farm” displays the band’s penchant for tasteful application of vocal harmonies in a delicate ballad setting.
Another highlight that shows the band’s harder edge is the punk-spiked track “Batshit.” The song playfully discusses a crazy ex-girlfriend over a pounding four-to-the-floor motif.
Overall, the album is well-rounded, polished and shows a surprising level of maturity for a new band. While the level and clarity of the vocals need a little work, and the songs tend to be repetitively similar, the tasteful production and layering of the album makes for an enjoyable listen.
Dive verdict: 3.5 of 5 stars
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