Glory Fades, Everything Is Lost - EP review

Wolverhampton unsigned alt-rockers Glory Fades are back with a brand new second EP.

Since Late In The Day was released last summer, the American-influenced five-piece have switched vocalists, with Justin Griffiths stepping in. They are building their brand and their sound, and this has a more expansive feel than what came before.

Brand New, Against Me!, The Gaslight Anthem - you should know what to expect from the music given their influences. But it's not a cliché, the boys manage to hover above that parapet with some well-worked tracks, political references and local mentions.

Dues must be paid to Dan Willett of Univibe Audio in Birmingham, his production work on this record is top notch. The result of that and their songwriting is reminiscent of the emo-grunge tracks pioneered by a certain Welsh band whose name can no longer be mentioned.

Justin is keen to point out they aren't necessarily a political outfit but that social commentaries naturally reared their head in the process.

Opener The Reckoning is arguably the EP's finest work. Angsty vocals work nicely with the scratching guitars underneath. It screams pain, a troubled soul venting their frustrations with life. It has impressed locally. Wolves recently used it as the soundtrack to their online highlights package for their hard-fought 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

Those social commentaries also poke out in the use of audio from a Donald Trump speech to open proceedings.

Another strong track is the haunting, heartbroken Growing Apart which features guest vocals from Birmingham band Secrets of Mariana frontwoman Amy Wyatt.

"It's about two sides of a relationship," Justin told us. I just thought, let's just ask, and she agreed to do doubling and harmonies on the track. It was great, she has a really lovely voice."

And he's right, the mixed vocals fit together like The Subways, Ringo Deathstarr or Silversun Pickups before them.

And 18 Years is worth a listen too. More 'teen rock' than some of the other tracks here, it features local references like The Moon Under Water pub on Lichfield Street and moving to Birmingham's brighter lights. Jangling with more hope than elsewhere, the guitars combine for a more uplifting melody.

The clean sound really helps the group, it sounds like a production from an act with a much bigger budget. This all bodes well moving forward.

Rating: 7/10

Glory Fades are playing alongside Twin Heart at Percy's Cafe, Whitchurch, Shropshire on October 20, before supporting Ferocious Dog at Wolverhampton's Slade Rooms on October 27. And oN December 1, they are backing up fellow local lads Fear Without Reason at Birmingham's O2 Academy 3