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Life is stressful, and sometimes finding peace isn’t the answer. There’s a need for a release from the daily frustrations that can’t be found in meditation. The body needs to move, the hair needs to flail around, and the hips need to swerve in darkness. True, you can stop to smell the roses, but it can be more satisfying to stomp all over them. Ecca Vandal leads that charge, pushing to get through with a fiery passion.
If we were facing down the end of all time, then Ecca Vandal’s debut EP seems like the perfect way to go out in a blaze of glory. Fire up the TARDIS sound system.
Vandal is originally from South Africa with a Sri Lankan background and at the age 4 her parents moved to Melbourne. She has a range of influences, especially punk and hip-hop, which can be heard in the End of Time EP. Jazz was an influence as well, with Vandal learning a lot about improvisation. She has learned the lesson that to break the rules it’s helpful first to know the rules.
Vandal made this well composed noise with the help of Kidnot and Hadyn Buxton. A dirty, grungy flock of birds come flying at you through the speakers. The album has a well defined fierceness that roars through heavy punk guitars, a bass that see saws through twists and turns and drums that give it all a primal deepness.
End of Time comes out charging with the Running at People Exiting. The first track is a statement of intent. Vandal smashes in punk influences with a flow that is like a skateboard going up and down a ramp with speed. Running at People Exiting sounds like a track that would get people to stay in to see the gig; something that makes the listener stop, pay attention and demands their attention.
Vandal shows off her synth skills on Truth to Trade. With an epic sound and a large chorus, it’s a track that has a rhythm that dances and guitars that let loose with a fury. The vocals are a mix of hip-hop and punk, with a soft (ish) interlude in the middle before hitting on flaming passions again.
Battle Royal is a perfect finish to the EP. The bass sound is impressive and cuts through like a chainsaw. There’s a sound of someone who is letting go, someone releasing their frustrations and finding strength in taking control. Vandal is challenging the steel in her resolve in Battle Royal, and the track sounds like the best kind of relief and exhaustion.
Ecca Vandal is worth checking out if you need to release some tension, if you’re feeling the need to wave your hair around, if you like your music with equal parts fire and talent.
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