EP Review: Cautioners - Conditional Identity.

I was recently contacted by Scylla Records asking if I would feature one of their artists on my blog as they had a music video premiere that night (you can check out the post for Hello Lazarus's video 'Stallions'  here). I'm now looking forward to building a relationship with the record company and featuring a few more of their artists on my blog. The first (of many, hopefully!) is Cautioners, and their debut EP 'Conditional Identity'.

Cautioners are a Bristol-based band who have caused shockwaves on the local scene without playing a single live gig. Yes, thanks to the internet and the broadcast of session videos the band have gained an initial strong following as well as gaining the attention of Scylla Records. 'Conditional Identity' will be released by Scylla Records on June 10th, and 4 days later the band have their first gig at Bristol Louisiana!

Pretty daunting for a band just breaking onto the scene, huh?

Listening to the EP for the first time, I love how mellow the tracks are, despite the rocky edge. 'Off Piste', in particular, is really chilled and reminiscent of one of my favourite bands, Death Cab For Cutie. The harmonious mix of clashing sounds in this track - the heavy percussion, the calming acoustic, the edgy vocals - ensures it is a captivating listen and makes you want to listen to it over and over again (and trust me, I did!).  With each listen, you pick up on a little rift you didn't notice before which provides the track with a whole new dimension.

The EP as a whole works brilliantly as the tracks vary and complement each other, ensuring you don't get bored listening to the tracks one after another. Cautioners are brilliant at balancing the tempo of their tracks so they've got a strong enough beat to keep you interested but it isn't so 'in your face' that you have to switch to something else after a few minutes. I love how you get almost complacent with the mellowness of a track then all of a sudden you are hit by really heavy electric guitar rifts and beats, as in 'Petrichor'.
It's remarkable that this EP has been produced by a band who have not had a live gig as of yet. Their first gig is bound to be a success, especially with the brilliance of this EP, which will work perfectly in a live set and really get the crowd going.

The EP will be available to buy and download from the 10th June, make sure you don't miss it!

 You can have a sneaky peak at Cautioners below, where there is a video for Staging Area!