Review
The Blind Shake
Fly Right EP

The Blind Shake have honed their sound over the years, always identifiable yet always moving it forward and with a keen difference between records. It’s pretty impressive considering they write 2-3 minute stomp-garage tracks with a big emphasis on beat and hook—a style where repetition and sameness run rampant.

Where Fly Right stands out is its variation from that tradition. The 9-song EP mixes some laid back surfer wash like “A Clock, A Window,” A Pyramid,” their normal stomp heavy goodness (“Tar Paper”) and psych romp (“Holy Road”), and then the closer “Salt,” which mixes those styles with a more explorative and melodic side. There’s even some acoustic flourish in “Diamond Days,” which has a different volume but the same familiar feel. This record shows all their angles, sometimes stripping the songs down and shining light on the different elements that comprise the songwriting whole. The standouts here are still their bread and butter with rowdier stuff like “Holy Road” and “Yellow,” but the record swings back and forth with grace and it’s nice to see a band branching out and pushing songs that aren’t necessarily expected within the greater canon.

The EP came out after their instrumental surf record with John Reis but was recorded beforehand, and there’s no real comparison between the two releases besides the occasional surf backdrop. This EP showcases what The Blind Shake does best, from the tenor guitar tones and heavy psych reverb that’s kept in check by a rhythmic pounding. Where recent records has gone heavily in one direction or another, from dark psych tones to wandering and spastic surf, Fly Right spans the gaps. It’s an EP that gives a little personality and a little process behind the tightly knit full-lengths, giving The Blind Shake a rawer sound that’s surprisingly unified for how some of the songs here mix it up. The energy is a little up and down, but this is a super solid EP. Fans will appreciate the depth, and noobs will get a taste of what it’s all about.