Paradise

WREX

EP Review

By Luke Knowles

Bitting, unapologetic, and gritty are just a few words that go someway to painting a picture of the debut EP from Brighton owns WREX. Between them, Mae & George who make up WREX have taken everything that has made them a joy to listen to over the last few years and have channeled it into four songs that showcase their talents. Since coming across their debut track ‘Wide Eyes’ way back when, I always had a sense that this was a band that knew what they wanted from their music. This feeling has only grown upon hearing more and more of their music and with the landing of their EP it’s clear that the duo have come out of the gates at full speed.

Across all four tracks WREX fill your ears with their tell tale crunch of driving guitars and pulsing rhythm from both drums and bass. It’s almost as though each song has a heartbeat that helps focus your attention on the sharp turns and clawing riffs that coat the track. From the punching impact of ‘Sleepless’ to the more subdued yet no less impactful ‘October’ WREX etch their passion into each note. Their delivery is soaked in an intensity akin to Sleeping With Sirens and Flyleaf but has the rocksteady backbone of bands like Royal Blood and Black Keys. This combination allows them to experiment with structure and implement flawless elements of light and shade into heir compositions. This is hugely evident in title track ‘Paradise’ which leaps out like a live entity as you listen to it.

As stated above this EP is gritty and a bit of a sucker punch, all in keeping with WREX’s previous releases. However, with two of the tracks this Brighton duo have turned their hand to exploring a more emotionally charged element to their songwriting, something not always easy to do in the genre of Alternative Rock. In the tracks ‘Room to Breathe’ and ‘October’ the band seem to have taken the option of allowing the lyrics and vocals to take the lead rather than follow on in the guitars wake….let me explain. Unlike previous tracks that were driven by cutting and punchy guitar work, these two tracks still have some tasty guitar and driving drums but unlike before, the vocals are given a lot of room to expand and seem elevated above the noise. In doing this you engage with the lyrical content as a separate entity as well as the track as a whole.

This choice in production really allows these two tracks to stand out and helps to form the EP into a complete journey. You almost get a sense of the build up to this emotional release in the listing choice and the way the songs bleed into each other so naturally. Plus the lovely way in which the EP resolves itself at the end of ‘October’ by allowing that acoustic guitar to ring out almost mirrors for me the relieved breath taken by Mae & George upon mastering that final element they needed to make this EP complete. Now again, I could be diving a bit deeper here but that is both the joy and curse of reviewing music by such talented artists.

Overall, WREX have proven on this EP that they are a band looking to make an impact and are capable of being both aggressive and tender in their songwriting. It’s been a pleasure to watch this duo release strong track after strong track and after experiencing a more emotional side from them, I cannot wait to see where their next project will take them. So again, don’t take my words for it. Listen down below and see what you feel as you listen.

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