Departed's 'Tides' - EP Review

Devon's Departed have certainly been making a bit of a name for themselves in the rock world over the past couple of years. The band was formed a few years ago by Mark Pascall (Morph; Empire of Fools) and Ben Brookland (The Treatment), and a self-titled EP was released back in 2016. Pascall and Brookland are the band's core, writing all of the songs and dominating the band's overall sound. In Pascall, the band have a singer who oozes class. He might not have the range of many hard rock singers, but his voice is packed with swagger and soul. He certainly takes a lot of influence from classic rock singer of the 1970s but with elements of 1990s heroes like Chris Cornell also present makes for an impressive delivery. Brookland is the other half of the main pairing, and wields his guitar like a weapon. His riffs are razor sharp, and his solos are packed with melodic phrasing and fast runs. While I liked his work in The Treatment, Departed allows him to express himself much more. The Treatment's formula is quite rigid and fairly formulaic, but Departed have already started to cover more bases. The seven-track self-titled EP covered more ground than simple hard rock throwback, and felt like a well-rounded collection of songs. It has taken three years for follow up, but earlier this month the band unleashed the five-track EP Tides into the world. Over the past couple the years the band have been touring a fair bit, and I even caught them up in Sheffield with Michael Schenker Fest - a prestigious support slot for the band. I also saw the band wow Steelhouse Festival last year, with many of the song that fill Tides featuring on the day, and that performance made me hungry for a new release. Style-wise Tides carries on where Departed left off. The band's core hard rock sound sounds as good as ever, but there are a couple more experiments here that help to keep things interesting. Much like with Departed, Tides feels like a well-rounded experience. It also has a lovely, warm production which helps the songs to shine - with Pascall's voice front and centre, and Brookland's guitar crashing in when required. With the band undergoing a bit of line-up instability of late, it is hard to know who else actually contributed to Tides. Pascall played the bass on the first EP, with former Heaven's Basement drummer Chris Rivers handling the drums on a session basis. This could have been the case again, or it could have been that a combination of the band's recent drummers and bassists played on the EP.

The first of the five tracks here is Come On, a fairly basic hard rocker that moves along at a mid-pace and features an anthemic chorus. The main guitar riff is extremely simple, but it's simplicity really fills the room. Brookland's tones throughout this EP are excellent, and as a result the songs sound huge. The verses have a bit of an AC/DC-esque vibe, but with more of a bluesy feel due to Pascall's more soulful vocal delivery. Where he really shines however is during the choruses, which sees him really soar. I have seen the EP's first three tracks performed live by the band a couple of times now, and this is a song that always managed to get crowds going. It has that infectious nature that goes down well in the live setting, and I can see this one becoming a real centrepiece of the band's sets as they continue to push on and grow. Soul Shaker is a personal favourite, and features a tricky southern/country rock-esque riff that shows Brookland at his best. He would have never been able to play this way in The Treatment, and the groovy little riff just takes the song to the next level. To fit in with the country vibes, and perhaps unsurprising given the song's title, there is more of a soulful feel throughout. The use of backing vocals, while not exactly a gospel choir, has a similar effect and really elevates the chorus. Brookland's guitar solo is excellent too and builds on the style of playing found elsewhere in the song, but also stamps on a strong classic rock representation too. All the Way, another favourite of mine, is possibly the catchiest song on the EP for me and features and excellent chorus that sees Pascall pushed vocally. He rises to the challenge however, and sounds at his very best here. The verses are extremely bass-heavy, with a driving bassline pushing everything forward, while Brookland lays down some very simple Slash-like riffs elsewhere. I just the way Pascall sounds throughout this song, and it reminds me a little of Superstitious - one of my favourite songs from the band's debut EP. This song has that same sultry groove, and shows the band really firing on all cylinders. Let Her Down Easy slows the pace down a little, and tones down the harder rock aspects a little also, to leave us with a fairly laid-back American 1970s rock-sounding track. It is a little bit of a different sound for the band, but it works well. Brookland's guitar sounds a little more jangly here which helps the song to stand out, and the chorus has a very simple melody that is hard to remove from your head. On the whole I prefer Departed when they are rocking harder than this, but this little experiment has paid off. Remedy, the EP's final offering, opens with some bluesy slide guitar, with a gentle acoustic guitar backing, and maintains a much gentler feel throughout. The drums often have a more percussive feel, especially in the instrumental sections, and Pascall really shines without the big rock power chords to compete with. It is not a ballad, but it certainly the most laid back the band have ever sounded. It might have been better to end the EP with one of the harder tracks, but this is another worthy experiment in sound from Departed and sees them adding another string to their bow. Overall, Tides is a really strong release from a band who are beginning to really find their feet. I hope this EP does well for them, as I cannot wait to see where the band go from here.

The self-released EP was released on 2nd February 2019.