Wake Up EP

Silver Story are a band well worth rooting for. Releasing their debut EP, ‘Soulmate:
Eliminate’ two years ago with The Animal Farm, they failed to set the world on fire (or attract any
considerable attention for that matter). However, with no desire to surrender their musical hopes
and dreams and give up after only one attempt; they’ve revamped their line up and reinvigorated
their sound and fortunately it is by all means for the better. With a new sense of direction and a
newly polished purpose, Silver Story have put together their second EP entitled ‘Wake Up’, and
this time they seem to have mixed together all the right ingredients. There is a formidable and
compelling air of determination in this EP which is very hard to miss. All the songs have been infused with an impetus and a drive to achieve and conquer. As a result, there is an unyielding energy on this album that draws the listener into their sphere of musical creativity, and from which
they hope you will not want to leave.

Luckily for them, their music is as sharp and hard-hitting. Silver Story have cited their influences as ranging from Foo Fighters to 30 Seconds To Mars, and while they explore some of the same versatility as these two bands in their musical dynamics, Silver Story instead have a pop-punk sound with a cutting edge to it – they have removed the sweet, almost sickly, tinge of pop-punk and replaced it with a classic rock punch.

The standout track on this EP is, by far, Dancefloor. The initial opening of abrasive power rock chords crash through your speakers like a tidal wave that envelops the listener in its powerful wake. The gritty, chugging muted guitar riffs along with the pounding kick drum immediately set all guns
blazing. Once the guitars explode into a gigantic arena-worthy classic rock riff, it’s inevitable that all those on the rock dance floor will not be able to keep still. There is a great pull and push to the song that keeps listeners hooked and it would make an unbeatable live performance (if the band has the credibility to back up their recorded sound). There is a slight lull in the song from the unnecessary and somewhat forced melodic breakdown that seems like the clichéd middle eight that you would find in a typical pop song. This spoils the overall momentum of the song as it instils an air of predictability into what was otherwise a frantic whirlwind of musical excitement.

Following as a close second, closing track The End is every bit as captivating as Dancefloor, but in
a very different sense. This is a great insight into their softer, laid-back style. The finger plucked melody is enchanting, alluring and delicate in all the right places. It then flows effortlessly into a beautiful melancholy soundscape of guitars intermingling over slow plodding percussion. The best element of this track is the call and response relationship between the vocals and guitar that creates a personal intimacy between the band and listener that is a rare but precious quality to find in music. In this track, the band is reminiscent of Eliot Minor, but this is not necessarily an insult as some may think. Both bands have a deep understanding of music; how to create textures, layers and most importantly how to build a story with the music that perfectly mirrors the lyrics. This is a genuine highlight of the EP, and shows there is much more that this band has to offer.

The third track Otherside starts off with a brilliant, military style pounding drum that creates the
illusion of a band ready to overcome adversity and finally triumph. The staggered instruments slowly
build the song’s momentum which create the air of anticipation and excitement that would work
exceedingly well in a live setting and inspire a great crowd reaction. However, this song has some
unfortunate weaknesses. The chorus, sadly, doesn’t quite meet the build-up that the verses had
created and the vocals do not contain the same vivacity as they did in previous songs.

As weaknesses go, however, Silver Story have not committed any severe musical crimes by any
means. All the elements of success are there and as with most bands in their early stages,
there are just some elements that need fine-tuning. Overall on this EP, however, they’ve admirably
shown the scale of their musical versatility and their talent for song writing. One can not only hear
the determination behind their music, but also the hard work that has gone into these songs to
ensure that the world does sit up and finally take notice of them.