Amsterdam-based trio Kolbak impress with an ardent alt-rock sound on the I Make U EP, produced by the band in their own studio. The title track unleashes a climactic structural swell, growing from an eerie shimmering into a comforting guitar jangling. The “I make you,” vocal escalations invigorate, rousing with anthemic flair into the exhilarating, distortion-friendly second half.
The band describe the EP’s commanding title track as “about keeping up with your identity when the whole of the world is so much focused on bettering, on talent show-like bad exampling, on branding and competition.” They continue: “It ponders the dangers of that. God made us in his image, they say, but theres far to many people playing God.”
The EP’s other two tracks prove similarly compelling. “Smoke and Mirrors” intertwines playful vocal harmonizing with crisp guitar work, escalating with a power-pop appeal — with shades of Teenage Fanclub — as the vocals heighten past the one-minute turn. “Play Time” serves as a fun, infectious finale, strutting shades of the band’s Elvis Costello inspirations from the perky charisma into the “it’s play time,” intrigue, and then back again into the raucously enjoyable rock sound. I Make U is a stellar overall EP from Kolbak.
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“I Make U” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
