EARTHBOUND

To-Mera's Earthbound is a four track bugger that lasts for almost a half hour of showcasing the band essentially revamping their aims, with founding member Lee Barrett gone, leaving only the singer, Julie Kiss (I can't imagine fellow kids ever making light of her name back when she was 10 or so) as the original member left in the band. They had also parted ways with their record label, so this was a self-released affair, the kind that's mixed in a living room while mom shows up with fresh crispy biscuits and lemonade...and to remark about poor clothing, hygiene and career options.

Djent. That's one of the first characteristics that stood out in describing the band's sound. The polyrhythmic drumming and a healthy dosage of Meshuggah-style chugs and low-note riff patterns. Luckily, though, there's a lot more going on, such as some nice keyboardwork, a good bass presence, a quick but snazzy guitar or keyboard solo popping up once in a while, and a nice array of jazzy dynamics and flowing arrangements in that the songs aren't saddled with jarring tonal shifts; it's all pretty smooth.

Much has been said about Julie, and she certainly deserves credit as probably the main source of melody concerning these four tracks. Singing over djent-ish chord progressions in a melodic display deserves accolades from the start. Her voice, while pretty enough, has slight 'poppish' inflections but not too much character otherwise. It's nice, but not striking.

It's a bit of a different animal from their earlier releases, which I found were a bit more frenetic and wild (sorta more my beat). As a four track EP, it's pretty good stuff, with the keyboards especially adding an interesting atmosphere to this release, but if stretched out to a full length, the style imposed here, particularly regarding the overusage of that djent influence, would probably wear out its welcome after a couple more similar numbers.