I think one of my favorite things about listening to music is coming across new bands. It’s even more rewarding when you just randomly stumble across a band’s Facebook or Bandcamp page and are blown away by how awesome the band is. Well, that was my experience with finding Seattle’s Red Liquid. While wasting some time at work I was scrolling through updates on my Facebook page and someone had linked to Red Liquid’s FB and the band had a link to their tunes conveniently featured ( I love it when bands do this, it makes life so much easier). I was immediately intrigued by the first track on the band latest E.P. Moonhenge. The total 70’s psychedelic droning synthesized intro to the title track was like something out of an old school horror movie. “Moonhenge” has this really eclectic almost throw back dark doomey sound with killer soaring-reverbed out vocals that add to the overall ambiance of the song. But, the highlight of the track much like the intro is the minimal keys that float over the entirety of the song and almost give it a similar feel to The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm”.
This dark spacey vibe continues on to the second track “Gun With Occasional Music”, but this time around Red Liquid has a bit more urgency with a quicker pace and barked-out half-sung vocals, which almost came across sounding like Black Francis in an early Pixies jam. The third track “Mirror Syndrome” is where you really begin to hear some of the band’s shoegaze elements. I am a sucker for dreamy, heavy, and slow and this track does just that and the chorus has a kind of doo-wop feel to it, which is pretty sweet. The guitar tone and chord progression on this song captivates me every time I listen to it. The final track of the four song E.P. “You Gotta Heave” almost comes across as some twisted ballad to your lover (whether they be alive or dead), about how much you want to throw them down a flight of stairs. At least that’s what I want the lyrics to be about. There’s nothing more passionate and romantic then telling your one true love that you would like to hurl them down a flight of stairs (Just kidding, be nice to your significant other. Even if they are dead).
Overall, Red Liquid’s Moonhenge E.P. is an interesting listen from start to finish. I enjoyed the fairly diverse set of vibes and sounds going on with the four tracks contained here. However, I think my favorite track out of the four would have to be the darker more psychedelic sound the band displayed on the opening track. I am hoping that as the band progresses they will begin to narrow their sound down to the creepy droning and the distant more melodic vocals going on with”Moonhenge”, but either way Red Liquid has acquired a new fan and I will be patiently awaiting for any new releases from the group or even better, maybe they will come visit me in SLC and play show.
Rating: 3.5 / 5