Glasgow based sad rockers Flakes have built a real reputation with their powerful live shows and great songwriting.
They seem to play every second or third Struggletown show, and for good reason – they are one of the stand out ‘emo’ bands in the city.
New EP, All That Was Lost Was Found Again, opener ‘To Die By Your Side’ sounds like a weird shoegazey introspective child of Citizen and Title Fight.
The sleepy vocals, mixed with the gentle warmth of the fuzzy guitars, are enough to have anyone transfixed before it even hits the two-minute mark.
‘Still Searching’ continues in a similar vibe; the reverb soaked intro melts into a huge heavier riff that maintains the general sleepiness of the record whilst still sounding heavy.
It is clear that the band have paid real attention to the way each song works dynamically, and ‘Still Searching’ is the perfect example; it ebbs and flows seamlessly between various sections, some quiet, some loud but all equally as powerful.
‘Jughead’ sees the band pay a subtle nod to another “emo” stalwart, American Football, this may seem like a lazy comparison, but with as catchy and as twinkly an into as this, its hard not to make.
One criticism of the record as a whole is that the songs do get a bit samey, although it works really well throughout, changing it up slightly would have perhaps kept the excitement going just that bit longer.
Towards the end of this third track, the vocals reach an almost Touché Amore level of yell, a style I was unaware that Flakes had in their arsenal, but helps to convey the emotion of the lyrics perfectly.
‘Got The Morbs’ doesn’t stray too far from the structure and style of the rest of the record, clocking in at just over five minutes, they really take their time to build and build on top of the simple melody.
All That Was Lost Was Found Again is full of great ideas; it shows a newfound maturity to one of Glasgow’s most notoriously fun live bands.
It will be interesting to see how they continue to build upon this foundation in the next few months.
Catch them at “For A Good Clause” to see how this new EP goes down live!
all that was lost was found again by Flakes
Words: Andy McGonigle
