Small Black Arrows “The Wave” EP Fully released on 12/11/21 on 42SR records
Adopting the rather curious nom de guerre of Small Black Arrows, Manchester based duo Luke Bailey and Jimmy Hanley have been busy releasing their three track debut EP “The Wave” as three singles (apparently) on consecutive Fridays of late with the actual EP finally out as a whole item on 12/11/21 and thereby they finally add more mass to the veritable tsunami of work currently hitting playlists and shelves up and down the land born out of, conceived within and influenced by lockdowns.
Unlike many who instinctively turned everything up to eleven and adopted a scorched earth approach to their recordings (presumably venting pent up frustrations and anxieties) Small Black Arrows have opted to dial everything down to a modest trickle, applied compression and limiters all over the place and gone with the “less is more” principal with a hugely restrained set of songs with an ethereal and often haunting acoustic take on composition. That sets it apart for sure
Ranging from the folksy retro feel opener and titular track “The Wave”, echoing the halcyon days of the 70’s troubadour with the faintest colour wash of psychedelia, to the more conventional ballad (with more than a passing nod to Seal) that is track two “Pathway to Contrition” “The wave” concludes with “Cherophobia” which is somewhat of a disjointed affair. Concerning itself with examining fragility and vulnerability the closing track feels like its been lifted straight out of a stage musical, which is slightly weird and marks it as a B side really.
Overall though, (and nit picking aside) having opted for releasing a collection of dreamy and atmospheric tunes, full of mellow fruitfulness Small Black Arrows have finally gotten their debut EP out and there is no doubt that it will have great appeal to those seeking a more cerebral and chilled edge to their audio diet with the stand out track and clear frontrunner for claiming the bragging rights as an actual single being the title track “The Wave” which being entirely capable of bewitching the listener as it is marks it out as a great song. Period
7/10
REVIEW BY VON GOLOKA
TRACK LISTING
1/ THE WAVE
2/ PATHWAY TO CONTRITION
3/ CHEROPHOBIA
FOLLOW SMALL BLACK ARROWS
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago