unZined Review - Sly Antics - Captive City EP

Three-Piece Alt-rock band Sly Antics consisting of cousins Sam and Lee Hudson and Alex Thompson from Manchester, are looking to ramp up their promotional efforts since forming earlier on this year and prior to releasing their debut release, Captive City, in December. Sam got in touch to see if I'd be up for providing a sneak preview of their five track release by reviewing two songs from the EP. Obviously, I jumped at the chance, as we at unZined love to hear from local bands and spread the word out about them. Check out my review below:

First up the track Captive City. The song starts off with a blistering intro; distorted guitar and pounding drums, before mellowing out, only slightly when it introduces the vocals. The vocals come in and are sung in such a style that suits the bands style of music full of grit, power and emphasis. The well sung vocals are inter-spaced with a nice sounding guitar riff. A minute into this energetic song Sly Antics have put in a nice break in pace by stripping the song down to just vocals, soft guitar and drums. It doesn't stick around long, but serves the song well breaking up the song's fast paced tempo nicely. The lyrics come in again after the build up and as the lyrics are well sung and in time with the steady drum beat and guitar I find they are catchy and full of meaning. There's another drop in tempo before the band comes in full to bring the song up to a ending like the intro giving the song some symmetry, before coming to a sharp cut off. Overall, its a professional sounding song, one you'd expect to hear in the rock charts or the like not from a newly formed band and featuring on their debut release. Its a corker and one they should be proud of. Hardly anything to fault with this one and I'm eagerly wanting to hear the next preview.

Lights Go Down  is the next track and my volume goes up. Expecting something of the same style as the last was a mistake, this band obviously are diverse, as the track comes in with a nice, calmer drum beat and guitar, which sounds a bit retro. Some hints of 70s hip hop maybe? As the song progresses there's an inclusion of some funky bass to the song and soulful lead and high pitched backing vocals. It's a pleasant surprise after hearing the last. The band is obviously eager to show us listeners that they are a diverse band with multi genre influences. It also shows off a songwriting ability to write lyrics for different genre and style of song. Impressive to say the least, the song is as well rounded as the last, but obviously in a different way. With a great catchy chorus and well written lyrics the song comes into itself towards the mid-point, repeating it and again with a instrument break. In come then a blistering guitar riff behind the vocals and pounding drums before all cut out and just leaving the vocals for emphasis. All in all a excellent enjoyable song to listen to showcasing their ability to create, put together and perform styles. 

Verdict: The sneak peak of Sly Antic's upcoming release shows us, the listeners, the level of diversity and quality to expect from their upcoming release, which seems to be really good. The songs themselves are enjoyable to listen to, well written and performed with skill. This here is a band with promise and potential and we are only just seeing the beginning of it. I can't wait to hear this release when its out and future releases as they progress and advance their craft.

Check out their taster intro to their upcoming release below:

To discover Sly Antics for yourself, keep updated with gigs and forthcoming releases, check the links below:

WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // YOUTUBE // SOUNDCLOUD

unZined, an offshoot of Little Indie Night, a night aimed at hosting what is becoming one of the best live music events in the Northwest, has been given free run to find local talent, find out a bit more about what makes them tick and spread the word around to promote local music. If you are interested in being featured or know of any musicians/bands who would be, contact Mal Keenan here or email me at mal@littleindienight.com.

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