Formed down in the Big Smoke, just last year, London dwellers The Night Suns have arrived on the scene with their debut EP, 'Human'. And just what scene have they arrived on? "For Fans Of" nonsense on the press sheet would have you believe their music is aligned with that of Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana. Stoner, industrial and grunge this is not. Opener 'Smoke' has some grooves that a lazy, musically insular observer might want to stylistically posit as QotSA. A mild electronic element occasionally shines thorugh the mix... which doesn't make me think of NiN in the slightest. And some of the distorted chords that feature in the three tracks could be construed as grungy should you want to interpret them as such... but, they're just one texture of the music and add a layer of heaviness, not necessarily grunge.
Comparisions to legendary bands, past and present, is nothing more than an attention grabber; a misleading lure that potentially primes the listening experience for being something it's not. And sets the listener up for an instant comedown when those very expectations are not met. Although The Night Suns' music, at least across these three fleeting tracks, bears only tenuous links with the FFO rubbish, it's likeable enough on its own terms. Discordant and more harmonious passages are contraposed and combined to good affect within three nicely composed tunes. Kind of pessimistic in passages, but with glimpses of optimism shining through. True to the band's "soundtrack to your dark hours" dictum. There's a definite melancholy here, but with glimpses of hope.
Performance-wise, there's nothing outstanding on display, but there doesn't need to be for the band's stylistic choices. It is what it is. Radu Constantin's vocals are good but not great. Again, it's not about flashy displays of vocal histrionics; more about the overall affects of the whole. And he nicely rides the dissonant/consonant duality with his vocal lines. Sound-wise, the EP's acceptable enough, although Freddy Ciocoiu's synths could do with a little boost in the mix. The guitars sound great against the resonance of the drums/bass, though.
There's a lot of promise here, although I can't help but feel these three tunes would've fared better within the context of a full-length release, as they don't really excite me in any kind of emotionally stimulating way as standalone tunes. That said, I like this; it's good stuff, but The Night Suns are a little way from being great, just yet.
"Discordant and more harmonious passages are contraposed and combined to good affect within three nicely composed tunes."