Signals. are a Southampton based quartet, you may remember their
"Constructions" which was reviewed by Nile Barrow of By the Rivers a
couple of years ago. It's always interesting to read musicians thoughts on
other musicians, with Signals. being the pick from Barrow for our Discovery
Weekender review festival. Well the quartet's latest release is a developing
sound veering away from the math rock / pop of "Constructions" and
their previous EP Facial Furniture.
Instead, on their Sleep Talk EP and more specifically the
self-titled track, Signals. evoke a calm delivery of indie electronica
- the same way Delamere pulled away from bedroom recordings to achieve a professional
sound. It's no shock that indie rock artists evolve over time, not
quite in the same fashion as Pokémon, but you get the picture.
"Sleep Talk" keeps to Signals. narrative, instruments
working in unison - though with slightly darker meaning in terms of lyrical and
orchestral expression. One of Signals. qualities is their ability to work as a
team; with their form of sincere 'math rock', you need the bass to be sporadic,
linked to the piano - guitars need layering, guitars need
reverb to add textures moving away from the grittiness of math rock's punk past
(Fang Island, The Edmund Fitzgerald) conforming to the narrative of post-rock,
where time signatures and a EADGBE bears no resemblance to a pre-determined
theme. On "Sleep Talk" we see Signals. simply develop, interestingly
enough they're doing it in the night’s sky instead of math rock's usual high
fiving summer sunlight.
~Eddie Gibson
Signals will be on tour late October,
early November - you can check these dates on their Facebook.
