Ben Quad
Ephemera


4.0
excellent

Review

by Sunnyvale STAFF
October 29th, 2024 | 10 replies


Release Date: 10/25/2024 | Tracklist

Review Summary: It’ll be like this forever

Ben Quad left an immediate impression with their 2022 debut LP, the short and sweet I’m Scared That’s All There Is. That album was, if nothing else, a whole lot of fun - earnest emo tunes propelled along by ample energy, pop-punk catchiness meeting whimsical mathy instrumentation.Now, two years later, the band is back - this time with an EP. Ephemera is short (five tracks in under twelve minutes) but it’s not really sweet at all - there may still be noodling, kinda goofy, guitar soaring this way and that, but the center of gravity has now shifted towards visceral skramz-ian territory. The songs are frenetic and urgent lamentations, and the EP’s diminutive size is both its preeminent strength and its most glaring flaw - while Ephemera is a blast to listen to, despite its snarling demeanor, you’ll always want more as the last track ends. Ben Quad’s ability to blend ferocity with relative accessibility here is greatly appreciated. It’s fitting, though, that for this tiny release, it’s the tiny things which really elevate the EP to greater heights - like that summery electronic beat which opens “I Did Not Create The Rules” and somehow propels the listener into the energetic rush forward which follows, or the way the lead vocalist’s drawn-out howl of “ephemera” intersects with backing vocals’ more melodious repetition of “we were made to throw away” to perfect the dramatic climax of the title track. The vibe might be a little different this time around, but Ben Quad’s definitely still got it. Hey, if you have an hour to spare, that means you can fit in five spins of this neat little jam.



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user ratings (22)
3.9
excellent
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I'm Scared That's All The


Comments:Add a Comment 
Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
October 29th 2024


6186 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Band rules, etc.

AsleepInTheBack
Staff Reviewer
October 29th 2024


10449 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Hey I remember this band



Hey Sunny

GreyShadow
October 29th 2024


7337 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

gotta check this. saw em live last year and they were solid but the 2 songs i heard off of here were straight rippers

AsleepInTheBack
Staff Reviewer
October 29th 2024


10449 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Woah yeah this is different to the band I remember the boi screm

SlothcoreSam
October 29th 2024


6428 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Good change in direction

Slex
October 30th 2024


17281 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Theyre way better now

Nbehre11
October 30th 2024


313 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Really hope they carry on with this sound.

HBFS
October 31st 2024


1579 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

i like this direction a lot

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
October 31st 2024


6186 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Yeah, I just keep listening to this - so short and digestible, but it rips.

patrickbuit
November 6th 2024


396 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

So much better than their debut wtf



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