Holland - No Control (EP)
Have you ever heard something for the first time and its sheer beauty just blew you away? Well Brisbane four piece Holland and their EP ‘No Control’ is simply glistening from the four pop rock gems it contains. It’s brief at only four tracks and features two songs from their yet to be released debut album, and two live tracks.
This release is meticulously constructed and brilliantly produced. The sound is top class, yet it’s no wonder given their forthcoming album (and two of this EP’s tracks) was recorded in Atlanta with Nick DiDia, who successfully worked with Powderfinger producing albums during their golden era.
The first and title track ‘No Control’ is a lush and bright number, than envelops from simple acoustic guitar to vocals and ends up gaining momentum before unleashing a cascading chorus that is rich in texture and sound. It is one of those songs where the chorus gets grander each time that it’s played.
Tracks two and three are the two live ones, although if it didn’t say on the sleeve of the release, you wouldn’t know it. They sound more or less just as good as the two soon to be album tracks in terms of production. ‘For You’ is a touch sombre compared to the first song, yet its chorus kind of sweeps you up each time it comes round and lifts the mood a bit. It has some nice slow guitar riffs in between vocals too.
Oddly, the third song, and other live track is titled ‘Intro’. This track is fairly stripped back and really puts lead singer Jarryd Klapper’s vocals on full display. He has a tremendous voice, and with understated backing music on this song, his voice just washes over you.
Lastly ‘Open Your Eyes’ tends to go in a slightly different direction to previous songs, it’s more of a conventional pop song than the others. Klapper’s voice sounds a touch different, yet it still sounds great. Like the first song, and other one that will end up on the album, ‘Open Your Eyes’ rolls on and gathers elements and grandeur with each passing second.
‘No Control’ is a fantastic release and shows plenty of promise for Holland’s upcoming debut album. The fact the two songs that will feature on the album are the clear stand outs off this EP means that come release time, I think we’re in for a treat with album number one from the Brisbane boys.
