Review Summary: A unique and interesting EP with a couple of bumps along the way.
Considering how difficult it is to write or listen to something that stands out as a little bit different these days,
The Stories We Leave Behind manages to do a pretty good job in this department. One&noone’s debut EP is a bold concoction of unsettling, washy cinematic synths, industrialised electronics, and a big, percussive drum sound being used as the backdrop for the spoken word/rap vocals. There’s a reverie-like haze that latches onto the overall vibe of this EP, with the help of the music box influenced chimes on closer “Waiting for You” and those haunting sub-bass frequencies that solidify the oppressive mood, putting the aesthetic on a knife’s edge: a pleasant-dream-turned nightmare. “Out of This World” is a really cool canvas of sounds that has this whirling, bleak bass being used as the foundation for erratic drum patterns, benign piano notes, and industrial mechanics setting the tone. The sound overall, when you include the spoken word flows, reminds me of early day Throbbling Gristle repackaged with a modern mindset. Couple that with a genuinely impressive crescendo that swells and pops into a mesh of dissonant sounds and it’s easily my favourite track on the EP.
This 4-track experiment is an all-round solid offering with “Storm” having this cool Massive Attack trip-hop vibe to it, and “Here Waiting for You” being the most traditional and accessible sounding hip-hop track on here with its swagging bass groove, slick hooks and punchy flows. The track I cannot get onboard with however, and one that overreaches in its experimental gambit, is “All is Quiet”; this track just doesn’t work, both in concept and execution. The production on
The Stories We Leave Behind works well when its operating on this arthouse-trip-hop-turned-movie-score sound, but it’s considerably mired by “All is Quiet”’s ambitions which introduce chugging guitars, more melody-centric cleans, and a peppering of shrill vocal work. The main hook became repetitive and annoying on repeated listens, but the muddy production for the guitars and everything else going on just didn’t work for me when all’s said and done.
That’s not to disparage what One&noone gets right with this EP, however.
The Stories We Leave Behind is a very interesting EP with plenty of great ideas that’ll see you through to the end. While some of the ideas don’t land well, it’s abundantly clear One&noone is onto something here. Even with “All is Quiet”, while the ideas behind this track don’t work well there’s still potential dormant within the formula, and with a better production and a more prudent approach in how these elements synergise, the next release could really catch fire. Overall, if you’re looking for something different,
The Stories We Leave Behind will answer the call.
