Deer Leap

Wind & Words [EP] (2017)

RENALDO69

Deer Leap have surprisingly gone without major recognition in the emo/indie/post-rock realm, shockingly so after last year's Impermanence. That stood as their best work to date and this surprise EP follows in the same vein. Wind & Words isn't as musically thick but what they sacrifice in density, they make up for with just-as-deep lyricism, continuing their narrative of a world broken whenever love dissipates.

Songs like the self-titled track and the poppier "Relativity" have a hazy Moving Mountains feel to them, which is a comparison I often draw when it comes to Deer Leap. Keith Galvin's vocals really pour emotion into the band's music, cleanly and so poetically. There's a degree of brutal honesty here I'd love to see rewarded someday like Prawn got when they toured with Jimmy Eat World recently. It's just six tracks on offer here as things ironically end on a Prawn-like note via "This Is Not A Dance", reminding old fans that Deer Leap is going nowhere and they're as good as ever. But at the same time, this EP provides a great jumping-on point for new listeners who'd surely be delving into their discography after.