Aaron & the Sea have come a long way from writing dinosaur-themed ballads. The Minneapolis band formed in 2008 when roommates Aaron Rice and Alex Brown started making music together, and later completed their line-up with the arrival of drummer Peter Leggett. Over a year after releasing their debut album Creature Creature the trio are back with their Cloak & Dagger EP, marking a departure from their indie-inspired debut.
The songs on the Cloak & Dagger EP are made for the morning after the night before. Scratchy synths, breathy but commanding vocals, coupled with echoey atmospheric effects that swaddle the music gives their sound a pulse of its own. Opener "Blac of Heart" is all brooding synths that are as eerie as they are addictive, while "Cloak & Dagger" is guided by propulsive electric drums veering into Kele Okereke’s style of electronica. Elsewhere the band's cover of Lykke Li’s “Little Bit” is a captivating reimagining of the Swedish singer’s track, but doesn't have the same immediate hit as the band’s own material. On Cloak & Dagger Aaron & the Sea have crafted a darkly beautiful sound filled with juddering synths and brilliantly textured songs made for sombre winter evenings.
Related news
