Friends of Alaska Campus, Fire At Night are a three-piece outlet from Hampshire who kicked off their career in July last year. Paradigm 14 is their debut EP and it’s a great fusion of indie and alternative with plenty of impressive acoustic guitar work. Their single Dumb has received a lot of attention recently and their five track record is an awesome reflection of where they are as a band and what’s to come from them.
Kicking off the EP with Gravity, the guitar sings sweetly beginning the catchy melody that lasts throughout. Atmospheric with the message that nothing lasts forever, it’s a song that is deep with the signature flippancy of indie. It is a showy song with regard to the impressive riffs and the smokey instrumental at the three minute mark but it has an integral important mantra embedded in the lyrics, steering it away from the pretentious indie scene.
Ironing Out The Creases is an instrumental track in the middle of the EP. With a sad guitar over the top of a tropical paradise jungle, it’s a song with mixed emotions. The riff is almost a lament but the sounds of the frogs and crickets add an interesting twist that perk it up and in fact, give it a more chilled, relaxed vibe.
Drifting into Still One, a melodic number with an acoustic introduction and a hopeless love story at its centre. With a darker heavier ending, it’s a great mix of light and dark and the soulful indie vocal tones simply drape over the top, making it a track which is catchy, classic indie. It’s a passionate and heartfelt track that is in fact my favourite on the EP.
It Grows has an Oasis-esque melody that is certainly the stand-out alternative track. Although the repetitiveness makes it a little dreary and the vocals are downbeat, it’s an awesome live rock sound. A slight Klaxons slant on the guitars and it’s a great electro-rock anthem, which is catchy but a little too samey and long.
Finishing on 792 with an acapella track which resonates through your head. It has a stark, bare feel to it and it’s much more of a simplistic approach than the other tracks before it. A rolling acoustic plays through it and a funky beat kicks in during the second half. It has some big hit potential and I think it’s a song which could really do well for them.
The EP is an amazing debut and if you love classic indie/alternative with the odd emotional acoustic track thrown in, then Paradigm 14 is a definite must-have. Fire At Night are an upcoming excitement and I can’t wait to hear more from them.