Labels: Luckyhorse Industries
Review by: Alex Deller
With a creak and a croak Winfred E. Eye splutters into life like an irritable old man woken from his afternoon nap by children knocking loudly on his door and running away. Gone are the lonely, lowest-of-the-lo-fi aesthetics of the first ep, traded for a couple of extra band members and rich, full arrangements that let the songs stretch and fully wake, whilst still retaining an endearing sense of smalltown drama and pathos. The bluesey, country vibe is as strong as ever, touching upon Tom Waits’ stained rasp and cracked storytelling as we travel from loss to loss with a world-weary sigh.
Eight songs that are the equivalent of trying to replace someone else’s warmth in the bed beside you with heat in your belly from a damn strong drink. It works for a while but the emptiness can’t be filled with liquor, and when Calvert sings that he’s coping with coping you nod along wistfully, imagining that it rings true for the both of you, all the time knowing that neither you nor him really buy into that particular white lie.