Labels: Gringo
Review by: Kunal Nandi
It’s been a long time since Souvaris of Nottingham’s previous (and similarly fine) album, and while the lengthy track times have remained, the control, focus and melodic sense have all improved even more. Tarred with the post-rock tag, Souvaris are into creating a warm atmosphere, but are really more about exciting build-ups and the subsequent release of energy, usually in surprisingly frenzied bursts of volume. If this sounds like the classic (clichéd) post-rock by numbers approach, then that’s because it probably is, but in order to get there, Souvaris head down many fluid variations and math-rocking passages, all masterfully handled by the players (I’ve seen this lot pull their complex orchestrations off live with blinding results), and all without the tired predictability of someone like, say, Mono. It’s nothing you ain’t heard before, but it’s doubtful you’ve heard it done quite this well for a good long while. File this alongside Polaris’ album as another British indie hit, and another notch on the bedpost for Gringo Records.