ALBUM REVIEW: "Red EP" by Weekend

September 20. 2011 | By Carnie
Weekend
Red EP
[Slumberland]

It’s hard to put a value on an EP. They’re glimpses in the direction the band is heading, or leftovers from the previous record. Most bands will experiment with novice recording techniques or fall in love different influences that end up better left as a crush. Or, if you’re Weekend, you’re tighter, more ambitious, and ready to show off a small collection of great new material.

The Red EP builds off of their well-respected 2010 debut, Sports, with a haunting array of lo-fi melodies and Ride-influenced distortion. The hissing guitar echoes in “Hazel” transform an already majestic tune into a psychedelic manifestation. With pleas of

“Let Me In/Let Me In/Let Me In” from “Your Own Nothing,” lead singer Shawn Durkan is either escaping from or escaping to someplace more content. For me, Durkan’s surreal imagery really solidify the EP as a precursor to bigger and better things for Weekend.

And so the Red EP is figuratively just more chum in the water as I and other shoegaze admirers wait for another chance at the real, meaty surprise from Weekend.

Weekend – Hazel by Slumberland Records

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