“You said it was your kind of heaven.”
Shoegaze in itself is an uprising genre full of intricacies and depth. It has had its blend with multiple genres upon the sonic landscape. However, its nuances can definitely be more prominent in specific areas. crushed are here to prove that. With a shoegaze and dream pop fusion, extra life scratches an itch that is not to be expected from a very recently formed group. The duo have began to solidify their own sound in their debut, their essence oozing out with every phrase.
Kicking off the EP is firstly released single “waterlily”. Adorning its melancholic vocals from the half of Bree Morell, the single fashions itself in a laid-back nature. Drawn out and aerated vocals evoke a direct contrast between the upbeat instrumentals, creating a product that is no less than captivating. It holds a unique and fresh personality that I, personally, have rarely seen in the genre.
Second released single “coil” sees the entrance of Shaun Durkan, Crushed’s other half. Taking itself in similar strides to its predecessor, “coil” takes a slightly more moody approach. The duo work harmoniously in its chorus, showing off great chemistry. Backed with an ever-looping beat and melody, it’s easy to lose yourself and get lost in this track. It’s one to soothe the soul.
With extra life’s more-so cheery and uplifting start, it begins to shift gears on the back-half of the EP to a more sombre tone. This is extremely evident in “milksugar”. Trodden with its downtempo, the pacing begins to noticeably slow down. This shift is further augmented by the track’s graceful exit in spoken word. Spanning an accumulative 20% of the track’s length, it makes a slightly rocky transition to the penultimate in “bedside”.
Forming a hybrid between “waterlily” and “milksugar” is “bedside”. Combining both elements of the percussive drive from the former and the mellow melancholy of the latter, what is birthed is a fusion. In its resolution, it builds up quite serenely to closer “respawn”. Firmly standing as the most prominent release, it resembles an exceptionally beautiful finale. Its fluent pacing elicits a lucid response, slowly building up to its climax 3 minutes in where it allows its emotions to burst at the seams. Finishing off on spoken word monologue, Extra Life’s story ends there.
With extra life, crushed show they have what it takes to elevate themselves into the shoegaze scene. Its smooth amalgamation of shoegaze and dream pop/indie is one that is uniquely seen in quite a common mashup. Their own take on the genre is one that should be noticed, as more people should give their time to the duos talent. Whether or not crushed begin to pick up the much deserved traction from this stellar EP is one that only time can tell.
9/10
Extra Life is available on various streaming platforms on February 10th via ng+.