Labels: 6131 Records – FITA Records
Review by: MH
It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve written about The Winter Passing but it’s also possible that I haven’t been paying attention. This is their first full length and they are still hovering around the border between indie and punk that they displayed on their demo CD and “Scrapbook” 7inch a while back. As far as references go, The Get Up Kids and Tigers Jaw, in particular, would be the obvious ones with the hooks, the keyboards and the interplay between the boy/girl vocals which are a focal point for this band. You can also hear the influence of Brand New in some of the moodier tracks like “Flowerpot”. It’s still their poppier side that I get the most out of though. “Nowhere Still” was on their demo CD and it’s found its way on to this record with a bigger production sound and longer ending – it’s still one of their best songs. My favourite song on here though is “Penny Chains” which is a shorter, slower track which makes the most of both sets of vocals. The accompanying video for this track which is just a video of the record playing on a sideboard amongst some candles is also pretty cool. I think if you liked The Winter Passing previously then you’ll be pretty happy with this one.