The EP starts off with GOOD EVENING, a collection of intermeshed disembodied voices giving a sense of foreboding and expectance. The song has no conventional vocals except for these voices reminescent of FITTE HAPPIER by RADIOHEAD. The sharp cutting guitars, the balanced bassline and a groove enveloped drumline set the tone for the rest of the EP. The influence of Metal and Progressive Rock is visible on the second song SAPPHIRE CONSTELLATIONS with heavy riffs and drums, a bit like TOOL and KARNIVOOL. The song is beautifully sung by Achint Thakkar who manages to convincingly belt out the catchy chorus yet maintaining the as yet unjaded quality of his voice as he sings about the complexity of commitments and choices in all of us.
The band hits their perfect sound in my opinion in the 3rd song BLISS. The jarring guitars are as unsettling as they are technically excellent and the drumming achieves that which is very rare, technical and emotional harmony. The song has beautiful synth effects creating a wall of sound that is lighter than air yet heavy with teenage angst. The vocals transition from raw emotion to controlled introspection without a whisper of under-confidence. This is definitely my pick of the EP. The song PEACHES AND CREAM continues in the same vein as the earlier songs with alternating grooves and giant thumping walls of sound albeit with a very catchy and hummable tune and more layered vocal effects.
The title song THE LEGACY OF RUINED DAYS is a really interesting mix of musical influences. The vocals are very catchy and the riffs have a very poppy feel but still intentionally maintain their distance from conventional pop music like it was the ebola virus. An instantly identifiable aura of disaffectation will probably make this song a crowd favourite in their future gigs. The last song LATE NIGHT is an excellent Syd Barrett cover. The song has been reworked beautifully with layers and layers of captivating instrumentation. The beautiful contradictions of love and despair are elegantly portrayed in this silicon-infested age that still hold Barret’s words as true as ever.
Although it is not the best or most original EP ever made, the combination of various influences without blatantly ripping off anyone and creating a unique sound is certainly commendable. In the future, I expect more experimentation and more originality from this promising and talented trio of musicians. In the meantime, this EP is certainly one of the best pieces of music to come out of India in my humble opinion.
Bottom Line
The EP shows the maturity and class of this young band and proves that the hype, at least this time, was justified!
