London quintet, Eliza and the Bear released their new EP ‘Light It Up’ on August 3rd via Mi Familia Music.
Evidently their most engaging and captivating release to date, ‘Light It Up’ follows the band’s previous single releases – ‘It Gets Cold’, ‘Brothers Boat’ and ‘Friends’.
Title track ‘Light It Up’ kicks the EP off on a euphoric note, hinting at an Imagine Dragons influence. The infectious chorus is the most “poppy’ number we’ve heard from Eliza and the Bear – ridden with catchy hooks and lightly upbeat instrumentals.
“Light it up is about making a positive change to your way of life and when times get rough, doing something about it”
– James Kellegher
‘Talk’ is most definitely the stand out track of the EP. The song is lined with very minimal verses, a steady drumbeat and vocals, picked up by an etching guitar riff for the chorus. The post-chorus is what really makes the track – “and I’m just gonna tell the truth, I’m not gonna let you lose at all” layering itself into a blend with the steady rolling ambience of the track.
Closing the EP is an acoustic version of single ‘It Gets Cold’, which was made Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 Hottest Record. Stripping the EP down to a much more chilled and relaxed tone, it’s a perfect track to wind down the energy that flows through the record as a whole. The first half of the track is a basic mix of vocals and gentle piano, transcending eventually into a slow and steady piano, drum and guitar fuse, with the addition of strings here and there.
A beautifully structured EP – moving from the joyous mood of the opening title track, moving through different phases bringing the notch right down to the concretely mellow acoustic version of ‘It Gets Cold’.