Source: Album Artwork
You’d be hard pressed to say that Small Pond Big Fish’s EP Close My Eyes isn’t a refreshing listen. The London pop punkers are all set for the Deluxe re-release of their 2015 EP on the 4th March featuring an additional acoustic version of the track ‘Strange Thoughts Follow Shadows’. The band have drawn on influences ranging from Paramore and PVRIS, to early Muse and Periphery, allowing them to achieve an impressive breadth of sound, merging heavier progressive rock with pop punk. They pride themselves on their charismatic live shows are looking set to tour the UK in 2016, and we’re pretty sure you’re going to want to keep an eye out for those tour dates.
The album opens with ‘A Premise’, and it sounds like something you’d hear from PVRIS. The heavy pulsating synth echoes serenely alongside Iga Tchorz’s vocals. Interlude tracks such as ‘True Enemy’ and ‘Lifeless’ are interesting progressions between songs, filled mostly with eerie reverberating walls of synth, drum fills and soothing piano pieces.
‘A Closed Mind Wastes Time’ is the most impressive track on the album, instantly bringing to mind bands like Periphery. It’s a really impressive amalgamation of genres. The atmospheric piano track ‘Chiaroscuro’ flows seamlessly into the song, beginning it with a dramatic piano sequence that swiftly builds before jumping into a progressive and technical guitar riff, something you don’t often here in the scene. It’s got a really addictive chorus carried through by Tchorz’s strong vocals. ‘Strange Thoughts Follow Shadows’ is just as innovative, starting with a repeated guitar riff before hitting a really catchy chorus. The versatility and rigour of Tchorz’s vocals are definitely showcased within this track and its acoustic counterpart.
‘Please, Be Careful With The Porcelain’ opens with a slow paced melodic guitar riff which lingers and reverberates like ripples in water, it’s incredibly atmospheric and repeats itself getting the haunting riff stuck in your head. It’s pretty calming to listen to, the serene sound echoes before plunging you into a much louder and up beat distorted second half of the song, again showcasing Tchorz’s seamless vocal range.
Small Pond Big Fish have been really creative with this EP and confidently pushed boundaries. The genre is anything but a small pond – in fact it’s a huge one teeming with repetition and carbon copies of pop punk bands, basically things that have already been done way too many times. However, the band’s experimentation with heavier and more progressive elements has allowed them to create a distinctly unique and polished sound which could set them up against some of the biggest fish in the pop punk scene.
