Review: The Sides - Hesitate

It’s always an interesting experience when it comes to recording your first bunch of songs. For a lot of people it’s trial and error the first time, with an unspoken learning curve attached: you’re trying to cut out and solidify a sound for yourself, and in turn you learn bucket loads from the process. However, though this may well have been the case when they were making the EP, it seems pretty evident from the off The Sides have got a pretty decent chunk of their sound figured out. Hesitate is a heavy reminder of what talent lay under the surface of this shipyard town. Four tracks that deliver mounds of energy, catchy grooves and solid vocal melodies that’ll stay with you long after you’re done listening to it.

An EP is designed to give you the biggest impression in the shortest amount of time, and Hesitate wastes little time in delivering a collection of tracks that tell you what the band is about. Though the EP is definitely dominated by an indie-rock ethos, there is a little more to the songs contained within than meets the eye. The EP’s title-track is heavily influenced by Oasis, but you soon learn there is something more ambitious to the song than initially thought; serving the listener a wide range of emotions in just under 5 minutes: Mac’s melancholy choruses, met by a bouncy bassline and some soaring guitar passages make this the strongest track on the EP -- and if you’re only willing to listen to one song from them, look no further. While the opening track ”You and Me” and closing track “The Alchemist” give the title-track a run for its money by bringing buckets of energy and groove in such a short space of time.

Overall, this is a really, really great EP. The singing is fantastic throughout and the instrumental work behind Mac works perfectly with his voice. But not only that, the little ideas and styles (made by the guitars in particular) bring these songs outside the box of being “just another inde-rock” EP. There’s a shade of alt-rock/shoegaze underneath it all, and it works wonders for the band. It has to be said, If you’re a fan of rock music, and you support the local music scene, you owe it to yourself to check this out. These lads are seriously on to something, and should be ones to watch out for in the future.

I should also point out that this is the first product to come from JB Studios, and he’s done a really brilliant job of capturing these tracks. The production is full and punchy, while really showing the band’s dynamic off well.

Score:

Hesitate

3.7/5

1. You and Me 
2. Hesitate 
3. My world 
4. The Alchemist

Hesitate is set for release 10/2/17, with their EP launch the same day at The Nines.