We're giving you no prizes for guessing where this EP comes in the timeline of London-based but internationally-raised quartet Crash Island. The initial seeds were sown last June, with the final line-up being completed in December. The story's a little more interesting than that though, and is the result of a series of chance meetings. In short: Spanish songwriter ends up in Cardiff, meets French guitar/keyboard player in London, a mutual friend introduced them to a bassist from France and the gang was completed by an English born, South African-bred drummer. So an intriguing birth for a band then, and they've wasted no time in putting down some tracks and getting a couple of EPs out (ah darn it, we've given it away now!). But interesting stories don't automatically make for good music.
The tracks on 'II' are pretty good though, and suggest that a tight unit has formed and they're all singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak. The clattering 'Nothing's Fine' is quite eclectic, hardly to the point of musical mayhem, but we're not talking generic indie here. Both 'Soul Train' and 'Leaving Me Roar' throw around some interesting ideas and choppy beats but feel a little like a work in progress, which in a way they probably are. For such a young band they're only just out the blocks and probably yet to hit their stride. There's plenty of promise here, with the odd hint of Vampire Weekend and more exotic rhythms on both 'Leaving Me Roar' and 'Living Dead', a track which aims big and nearly gets there. This time next year Crash island could be flying.
Crash Island's website
Stream or download the EP
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