Labels: Willow Tree Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
This totally reminds me of Pot Valiant. Just getting that out of the way there. Estates is a new band, and this 4 song demo represents a pretty solid start. They play melancholy slomo, with waves of crashing / crushing guitars (both applicable) flowing through the music. The recording is pretty damned lo-fidelity, and this has led to a little bit of a weird mix. The vocals are slightly out of tune in places and their prominence renders this pretty obvious. Not a deal breaker, just something that the band probably needs to work on before they commit to a full release. The guitars tend to be fuzzy and slightly grungey when they really get going, which is fine by me.
Overall, this is not quite there but it’s definitely close. I am a sucker for bands that wallow around feeling sorry for themselves and Estates certainly tick that box here. The guitar sound totally hits the spot and if they get those vocals tidied up a little I think they’ll be onto a winner. Definitely give this a few minutes of your time if you enjoy the copious output of Shores.