Time’s A Factor, Kid

Leopard Rays

Digging deep into the heart of Alt-Rock and Post Grunge glory, Leopard Rays use four songs to demonstrate not only their ability to pair melodic tunes with punchy guitar lines, but also their understanding of song craft as a whole. Each track is the full package of meaning and execution, from the driving opener ‘Brother’ to its closing number ‘Time’s A Factor, Kid’, this four piece from Heartlepool have clearly hit their stride and intend to leave their mark.

Let’s break it down. ‘Brother’ kicks the EP off with a bang, reminding me of early Foo Fighters and The Subways. As the song moves forwards there is an element of frustration from the speaker to the ‘Brother’ in the song. This can be heard through lyrics like ‘….your hands around my throat….’ And ‘….you really boil my blood….’. Emphasising this feeling is the driving instrumental combination that doesn’t let up and seemingly only grows as the song moves towards its climax, as though mimicking the loss of control of the fictional speaker throughout the conversation.

Following on, the next two tracks ‘Daydream’ and ‘Pass You By’ take on a bigger quality. Rather than in the form of the punchy opening track, these two tracks open up, their themes of jaded experiences and the sense of running out of time, each track is equally powerful, while being equally individual. With a great use of loud guitar patterns, big drum splashes the tracks easily build, one into the other, culminating in a crashing climax that allows the final song to really stand out.

‘Time’s a Factor Kid’ as well as being the final track on the EP is the one that carries the heaviest message. Beginning slowly on a clean guitar the track allows the vocals to ring out and allow you to feel the full force of the lyrical content. This allows you to really hear the message which speaks to ‘manage your time, you might always think there will be some, but that isn’t always the case’, at least that was my takeaway. Finally the track climax’s in a slow build on the guitar and bursts into a crashing loop that slowly grinds to a halt over several bars, as though mimicking the running down of a clock, seeming to add to its message.

Overall, thisa EP is a brilliant milestone in this young bands career and proves their songwriting ability and the fact that they are comfortable in their sound and messaging. Lets hope there’s not too much time between this, and their next release.

Hear it in full here