Sydney rock trio Silver Statues take stripped back no-nonsense rock revival to an unprecedented extreme with their self-titled EP. Formed by songwriter and vocalist Pete Rowe alongside Alasdair Belling (drums) and Brendan Fallon (bass) in 2013 the band have spent two years following the release of their initial demos gigging Sydneyside to hone their live act and working alongside producer Dylan Nash of the Never Ever in the studio refining their classic rock sound for their latest EP.
Sydney’s Silver Statues serve up their self-titled debut EP. No bells and whistles here, just good old honest rock n’ roll from an earnest young band.
From the opening licks of opener Head in the Sand to the coda of final track Crystal Silver Statues swagger through their EP without a shred of pretension. The unfettered rock sound of the band has much in common with other venerable rock acts The Strokes, Silverchair, Faker and the Kaiser Chiefs. While not likely to be rolling off the tongue of the urbane hipster the talents of these bands have certainly stood the test of time and the boys from Silver Statues either agree or couldn’t care less. Production wise the group dispenses with dispensing with any gratuitous reverb and sonic fuzz in favour of only the rawest vocals and unembellished instrumentation.
Silver Statues comprises of four energetic and immediately catchy rock tracks with more than a few guilty movements of pop rock pleasure. The driving rhythms and simple hooks of first track Head in the Sand set the tone of things to come and can best be described as a collision of Silverchair’s seminal 90s classic Tomorrow and The Strokes Barely Legal. A self-centered love song, the track encapsulates the nonchalant swagger of indie rock with chorus line “Are you ready to go or should I stay?”
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Follow up track Square One retains the bouncy indie rock vibe with a narrative of angst and unrequited admiration for a distant lover. For third track Interlude (Why Don’t You Listen to Me) listless vocals signal a shift in tone while taking a backseat to some some fancy fret work and thundering drums which work towards a heavy rock crescendo.
Beatific finale Crystal takes things out with a spirited rock anthem. Serenading Crystal with bubblegum lyrics such as “Every single day is like a hallelujah”, playful guitar hooks, a psychedelic guitar breakdown and vocal overdubs the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach of the song embraces pop rock to the utmost.
No-nonsense to the very core, there is a certain down to earth charm to the EP which makes Silver Statues something to itself.
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