EP Review: Crystal Seagulls - EP-1

A couple of weeks ago Claire Trojnacki (Official photographer of The Musical Outcast) made a rather impressive discovery. That discovery was a band called the Crystal Seagulls. So following strict instructions I checked them out and I haven’t stopped playing their stuff ever since. Now hopefully you will know by now that if something is the proverbial shit on a stick I will tell you and not pretend otherwise. So when I say I’ve had this band on repeat I mean it, they really are that good.

Crystal Seagulls are a four piece indie rock group made up of Jim Lawton, John Armstrong, Elliot Whitty and Ben Heliczer. Released on February 1^st of this year and produced by Sam Miller this little record should be the basis of the soundtrack to your summer.

The band describes themselves as ‘Everything and nothing you’ve heard before,’ and that perfectly sums up their sound. It’s a delicious mix of familiarity and originality that will put a smile on your face.

‘Heart Won’t Beat’ gets things underway in fine style, with a brilliant catchy little melody and a bass line which  pays homage to ‘The Jam.’ The vocal is prominent without being overstated giving the rest of the song room to breathe. The balance is completely on point.

Next up is my favourite track from the EP ‘Time.’ The main melody is the sound of summer will get stuck in your head without fail. There’s also a little surprise in store here as the song drops into a more rock driven section. It adds a nice variation without ruining the flow of the song, and taking away the feel good factor.

The brit-pop inspired ‘Hands In The Dark’ allays any fears that the band might be a bit of a one trick pony. There are echoes of Blur here as the track winds through a tale of infidelity in slightly more rockier fashion which for me is no bad thing. It shows that there is potential for the band to develop a few different styles in the future and provides some good variation.

Final track ‘Toetapper’ has the most apt title for a song that I have come across for quite some time. I’m sure a certain company specialising in fence based products would tell you it does exactly what it says on the tin. It has a slightly more traditional indie feel, and would sit somewhere between, The Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes and The Fratellis.

All in all this is a fantastic little record. You’ll be left longing for those seemingly never ending summer days spent in beer gardens drinking cider because it’s a summer drink. Or more accurately that one afternoon in June where the sun comes out and you gravitate towards a patch of grass with an alcoholic beverage like an addict gravitates towards cocaine. Either way however you plan on spending your summer  I promise you the experience will be all the better for having the Crystal Seagulls playing in the background.