Manchester five-piece Funeralcare have just dropped their debut ‘Marathon‘ EP, a collection of tracks standing as the culmination of a year which saw sold out shows at YES and Gullivers, as well as a nod from BBC 6Music.
Promising to “breathe new life into alt-pop”, Funeralcare’s new EP is practically bursting at the seams with sounds and styles. The twists and turns of the title track sees the band blend electronic basslines with traditional indie rock two-steps, a combination which sets the tone for the rest of the EP.
‘Icecap’ has a moment where an already-minimal drum arrangement breaks to let the vocals fill the space before deciding to forget all about it by injecting shoegaze rhythms and massive synths. The sheer magnitude of the sound threatens to overwhelm the stellar vocal performances. By picking their moments carefully, Funeralcare somehow avoid this and manage to keep themselves front and centre.
The technique of blending minimal/maximised sounds is not lost as the EP continues, with Funeralcare never afraid to utilise another sound, which is exemplified in an unexpected percussion arrangement on ‘Never Good’.
The vocal performances on this EP deserve a special mention, as despite what comes across as a disparate array of sounds from a band clearly unafraid of utilising every tool at their disposal, the group never lose sight of their core sound, routed in the lead vocals.
The harmonies towards the ending of ‘Sugarcoat’ hold their own against a growing instrumental score which finally breaks through to occupy its own stage at the conclusion of ‘Semi-Skimmed’.
There is a lot going on in Funeralcare’s ‘Marathon’ EP, but the record never comes across as ill-disciplined and the group manages to justify every use of synth and percussion, keeping sight of their alt-pop core all the way through.
Written by Will Monham
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