Debuts can be cursed from the very beginning. The majority of bands spend most of their time in the shadows of their influences, while they try and find who they really are. Others flourish with creativity. Berkshire quartet, Elasea, fall into the former category, with their debut EP, Where I Belong.
This is not a bad thing, as ‘Glass Heart’ swings by with no such fragility. The rhythms have a slight whiff of the You Me At Six’s. While you can tell Elasea want to take flight during the chorus, like a fledgling learning to spread its wings for the first time, they ultimately fail to become airborne.
Elsewhere, through Where I Belong, the quartet add a dusting of sugar to their song craft. This fails to make the title track sweet enough to glide down the lugholes, despite the hard-hitting riffs.
There are moments where the 5-piece show promise. Like on the standout track ‘Lost In The Dark,’ with its sharp bursts of melody that threaten to kidnap you. However, it all sounds like Mallory Knox recovering from malaria, but it will get you moving.
Kudos to the Berkshire boys (and girl), though, as they do try to add some shade to their alt-ish pop rock, adding gruff vocals to ‘Time Is Against Us,’ while the closer is an all out acoustic affair that’s fairly damp and lacking substance.
Lacking originality and substance Where I Belong will not be turning heads on this outing. Luckily time is on their side.
