EP Review: Eyes Of Others – Nightwalking
Posted by David McElroy
Edinburgh’s Eyes Of Others magnificent Never Complain was a recent Scottish Fiction Track Of The Day, with its amalgamation of Kraftwerk and LCD Soundsystem providing one of the best electronic tracks of the year. That track has been followed by the release of Eyes Of Others‘ new EP Nightwalking which takes the band’s sound in a more mellow, less dancey direction but still produces four superb examples of modern synthpop.
Opener When It Suits sets the tone perfectly. The electronic pop that kicks off the track has a distinct ’80’s feel and flavour to it, which is no bad thing when handled correctly as is the case here. It soon builds though, adding layers of sound and developing into a melancholic pop masterpiece akin to the sort of thing Pet Shop Boys would produce in the Actually to Behaviour era.
Rugged Bunch Of Hunks follows, and it again looks to the ’80’s for inspiration, this time bringing to mind New Order circa Power, Corruption & Lies. For me, that album along with Technique will always be a New Order high point and it’s fair to say that Rugged Bunch Of Hunks sits perfectly alongside Power, Corruption & Lies fusion of indie and electronics. It’s a wonderful track.
Vibrates Inside You sees Eyes Of Others take a more laid back approach to their sound, moving towards a dream-pop feel. The song has a wonderfully atmospheric feel to begin with, dark yet comforting, before walls of guitar crash through the atmosphere, taking the song to new heights. The EP concludes with the darker electronics of Middles Meet which has an air of mid period Depeche Mode to it, both lyrically and musically, and that sort of thing will never disappoint me. The whole EP displays the full range of Eyes Of Others talents and it’s an incredibly impressive release, easily one of the best Scottish electronic EP’s of the year. If you enjoy electronic music, and if you’re a fan of the bands mentioned, then this is definitely one for you.
Eyes Of Others – Nightwalking is out now via Club Fandango/INgrooves and is available from all digital retailers.
David McElroy
David is Chief Reviewer for Scottish Fiction. He has been writing about Scottish music and electronic music for four years on his own blog Almost Predictable Almost and on Scottish Fiction. He is especially interested in Scottish electronic music, with his favourite acts including Machines In Heaven, Apostille, Happy Meals and The Insomniac Project.
