Ronan O'BrienWith so much music constantly being released on a global scale, it’s often easy to miss local acts with real talent. Luckily, my ears were opened to neptune blood courtesy of their debut EP, A Quiet Riot Inside.
neptune blood
Familiar faces evoke familiar memories. The faces of Ronan Mitchell, Manolis Pates and Shane Serrano were certainly familiar to me, from their time as gloomy rockers Fox Jaw. Joining forces with Damien Moore of The Hip-Neck Blues Collective, neptune blood are quietly on the rise. Under the watchful eye of Ben Wanders, the band entered the doors of Limerick’s Wanderland Recording Studio. And out came A Quiet Riot Inside.
Midnight Showing
The clean guitar riff that opens the album is abruptly overpowered by the loud drums & bass. The impelling energy from the instrumentals is accompanied by vocalist Ronan Mitchell. His ghostly vocals sit firmly in the midst of a wonderful instrumental. There are hints of Kevin Shields in the style of vocals, but somehow less pretentious. The guitar work is wonderful throughout, and the added layers created with the violin pieces are subtly decadent.
The guitars turn fuzzy in the chorus, with Ronan joining with the driving energy. There is a sense of anticipation about this track, I can’t quite explain it. Almost as if I’m expecting something crazy to happen. And it does, right at the end. The boys go full gung-ho at the songs outro, absolutely flexing their muscles. It delivers such a powerful punch, serving as the band’s welcome to the world.
Best Laid Plans
A catchy and dreamlike guitar introduces “Best Laid Plans“ with a groovy bassline and some really cool stomping effects on percussion. The instrumental takes a back seat for the majority of the track, allowing Mitchell to shine. His vocals deep and ominous, he warns “There’s a quiet riot inside / Rising up”. The mood is certainly darker than the opener, and for good reason. Lyrically, the song explores the need to adapt to unexpected events. While the inspiration for the song is not common knowledge at this stage, one may suspect the demise of Fox Jaw may have been a contributory factor.
The track is so different from the opener. Two songs in and the short album already sounds like a best hits compilation. From a hard-hitting, shoegaze-influenced opener to a moody, slow-burning psychedelic track, there is definitely a wide range of styles the band can fall into.
In Calico
The beautiful, sun-shining instrumental of “In Calico” is a further deviation from the rest of the EP. A driving melody on the bass guitar, with some beautiful snippets on the guitar and trumpet really lift the mood on this track. Mitchell’s vocals are still in that nice low register, but it doesn’t bring the mood down on the song even slightly. The song certainly encompasses the feeling of a summer evening, as wonderfully put in a review of the single.
The genre-bending abilities flexed in this short run of tracks is quite impressive. Once again, the band have followed on from the previous track with one that is almost in stark contrast. The beautifully clean guitars in particular give a feeling of the early indie scene. Think The Shins or Built To Spill.
Huge If True
The EP closes with the previously unreleased “Huge If True”. A solemnly sweet track that rounds off the band’s debut release perfectly. While soft at first, there is more of that early indie inspiration evident from the offset. Mitchell’s vocals are reminiscent of Alex Turner before he tried ripping off a late David Bowie. The layers are so deep in this track, with bright brass and neo-futuristic excerpts scattered throughout.
While more comfortingly familiar to the previous track, it’s still a journey in itself. The radio-friendly opening is warm and soulful. The song then opens into indie-rock sweetness, before going all out electronica. An entertaining piece to keep anyone interested, it serves its role as the cherry on top wonderfully.
Final Thoughts
A truly great showing of promise from a band who are only getting started. While it may be early days for neptune blood, their debut EP is certainly showing signs of promise. From talented musicians to polished recordings, A Quiet Riot Inside makes for an incredibly enjoyable listening experience. While this is merely the beginning, I am very excited to see what the band has planned next.
