EP review by KevW
This article also appears on http://www.soundsxp.com
With the recent glut of bands in Europe and North America turning to the alternative guitar heroes of twenty years ago for inspiration, it's pleasing to see that the passion for early 90s noisemakers is alive and well elsewhere too. Influence wise, Brazilians Flowed tick all the right boxes for people seeking more new bands to file next to Yuck in their record collection (they list Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Swervedriver, Pixies, Jesus & Mary Chain etc.) and 'The Flow EP' successfully marries grunge and shoegaze, keeping things unrestrained and sharp with minimal production. Another clear influence is Nirvana, but think the primal energy of 'Bleach' or 'Incesticide' rather than the stadium sheen of 'Nevermind'.
In keeping the studio side of things relatively simple, tracks like 'Glow' and 'Fool' have an almost live feel which makes the EP more engaging than if it had been tweaked and airbrushed. 'Lucifer Rising' has a swathe of noise running over it that harks back to the shoegaze pioneers of the 80s (before the unfortunate term was coined) and swampy closing track 'Sometimes I Think About His Death' has a dirty, Mudhoney dirge to it. The six tracks here are good rather than great, but are carried off with a vivacity and passion that gives them an extra edge. Flowed are a band with great potential that they maybe haven't quite fully realised yet. Flawed, but in a good way, and worth the attention of anyone who prefers their guitars to be served raw.
Lucifer Rising by Flowed
Fool by Flowed
Flowed's website
Download the EP for free from Flowed's bandcamp page
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