I adored Brns’ album Wounded when it came out. Each track was a long anthem you could jump around to chant with. Holiday’s see’s a marked departure from that album – keeping the five-minute track status, but forming confused meandering tracks instead.
The issue that plagues me throughout the four tracks on this EP is the disjointed approach to beats, melodies and time signatures. “Hurts” is possibly the most cohesive with a summer spangle guitar riff and plenty of harsh organs, but the vocal is half a pitch too high and doesn’t fit the rest of the track. The instrumental sections try to slow things down with a stop/start mechanic that jars initially and takes repeats listens to understand and get. “Home” is more of a shoegaze number but then bursts into glorious sections of electric guitar solos and weird keyboard effects. Violins join in too and the second half of this track is pure Brns bliss. “Time” is like a manic nightmare. It’s 1/1 time signature is harsh and ear tiring. When the track does explode into its evil nightmarish vibe, it’s great – but it lacks the finesse to bring you there on an upward trajectory. “Mess” really is one in places, as it tries to make an anti-riff riff. It reminds me of when math rock tries to be difficult for the sake of it. There’s moments of genius hidden in a dirge of awkwardness – not least the snap stop ending.
Each time I play Holidays I like it more though. My initial play was really disappointing but I’ve come to enjoy its quirks more upon each listen. It could end up being the bands “difficult” EP which ends up being a hardcore fans favourite – but for now I’ll leave it as an experimental hodge podge I still need to absorb more of.
Recommended Track : Home