MUSIC: BAND OF MISSFITS – Higher Passage EP

Shane | 3 May 2018 | Reply

MUSIC: BAND OF MISSFITS – Higher Passage EP
Independent
April 2018
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8/10

A sombre drum pattern opens Higher Passage before a breakout guitar and frontwoman/primary songwriter/guitarist Kym Redmond’s vocals take us on a journey into gritty betrayal. It’s a raw and honest opening song which points at the grungey bedrock of the band’s style, but to label them simply ‘grunge’ would be to miss the point entirely.

The soaring perfect pop vocal melodies of Nothing At All highlight that there’s a lot ore to this band – a pinch of PJ Harvey, perhaps, a garagey attitude, multi-textured guitar work and razor sharp drum fills giving the loud-quiet-loud template an edge of sophistication and style far beyond any pigeon holing.

Recorded in Western Australia’s south, at Yallingup, Higher Passage possesses a ghostly quality at times, notably on closing track Words Of Silk, which wafts seductively around the eardrums.

Higher Passage is an intriguing and enthralling collection of songs, and it’s Redmond’s particular talent and unique vocals which pull the other elements of the Band Of Missfits into her orbit and make this EP work so well.