Review Summary: Had this EP had 1 or 2 more tracks it would have easily gotten 5 in my book. Nevertheless it was still a highlight of 2011 for me, and I would highly recommend it to any fan of indie rock.
It would seem like an easy task to review a 3-track EP from an indie rock band from New Jersey, but it isn't. Despite the fact that indie bands seem to be popping up all over the place today, Color House is one of those bands that does their part in standing apart from the crowd, while still having comparisons to similar artists such as Colour Revolt and Manchester Orchestra. After two years of waiting, Color House has finally released some new material in the form of an EP entitled "Evil".
Many fans and even the band members themselves have called their music "dirty white boy rock n roll", and no matter how strange that might sound, after listening to their latest EP "Evil", I can't help but feel that that is an accurate description of their music. Vocalist Chris Schoonover sings with a voice comparable to Colour Revolt's Jesse Coppenbarger, but still maintains his own unique vocal qualities.
"Evil" kicks off with an aggressive and "dirty" sounding track entitled "Bottles". Having seen the band live several times, this EP really translated the energy from the live performance onto the recording very well. A heavy bass line dominates the verses, while "dirty" sounding guitars take over on the chorus, bridge, and outro. This is my personal favorite track from the EP, as it was one of my favorites of them when I saw them live.
The second track entitled "Evil" still brings a good amount of indie rock energy to the table, but not in the same vein as "Bottles". A catchy guitar riff starts the song off and Chris' vocals on the chorus will get stuck in your head for a very long time after listening to the song. This track has a poppy vibe to it as well, and is the title track for the EP.
The last track entitled "What Is Left of Us" closes out the EP with a soft and ambient feel. The vocals have a haunting sound to them and once again stand out amongst the rest of the instrumentation. The track does get a little repetitive and maintains a unique atmosphere of sound that left me waiting for some kind of build up, which never happened. This track probably could have used a build up towards the end in my opinion, but even still the song is solid despite that.
