Shatter Effect – Volume #1

Summary: Brilliant debut E.P from Birmingham / Wolverhampton based newcomers.

4.5

Shatter Effect Vol 1 E.P Review

Dance Music for Rock Kids. It’s a pretty cool tagline, and one which has carried Shatter Effect through their early career. It fits the feel of this E.P, and gives fans a taster for what to expect from their debut record later this year.

Opener Rebecca, which has already gained a lot of exposure with the music video and being hand-picked by Greg James from Radio 1, is a perfect opening record which captures the feel of what Shatter Effect are trying to encapsulate. Pounding drum rhythms intertwine with intricate guitar lines and a dual vocal approach which makes Shatter Effect stand out in a crowded market. It’s short, sweet, and you will be singing the chorus all week.

Forever 27 follows, and in my opinion is the strongest song on the record. It has an almost stadium rock feel to it, and the chorus is HUGE!, utilising both Robin and Rebecca’s high vocal standards very well.

It’s also good to note now that the production on the entire E.P is stellar. Drums sound massive and everything is clean and precise.

Cold is next, and is the current single from the record, with a quite brilliant music video.

It’s the ‘ballad’ of the E.P, and is a very, very good song in it’s own right. The drum rhythms by Ricky Hill are really quite unique, and the strings and vocal harmonies lift the record from a solid record to essential listening. It’s got radio-friendly written all over it.

Grease is the final song from the E.P, and whilst it’s the weakest, it still works due to it’s urgency. It’s more similar to Rebecca than the other tracks, and I can imagine this being a staple of the bands live sets. The bassline keeps your head nodding, and a cool half-time breakdown in the middle prevents the song from growing repetitive.

Overall, this is a fully fledged E.P from a fully fledged band, and judging by the strength of this E.P alone, they have a very bright future ahead for them. They tackle both mellow and energetic tracks with this record, and never seem uncomfortable with either style, adding their own unique spin on tried and tested formulas.

I’m excited to hear what Shatter Effect have in store for 2013 and beyond. You can listen to the E.P in it’s entirety below.