A lo-fi but well balanced sounding EP with confident guitar playing and no over-processed sheen to gloss it over. The monotone vocals may work for some better than others; it’s really a matter of taste. They conversely seem to lack power, not matching the changes in intensity of the other instruments which may nag on some people, but they do have a dreamy (almost soothing) quality which may treat others just fine. Plus, singing in monotone has treated Morrissey pretty well over the years, so maybe it’s not much of a detriment after all. I guess the main complaint is that when the vocals sound the same in every song, it gets hard for each one to shine individually.

The main detractor to me are what sounds like flubs in the drumming (maybe they should’ve done another take?). They’re scattered here and there and it’s tough to let them slide because the guitar work seems so confident. Musically there’s unfortunately not a consistent level of quality throughout, though this is something that could surely improve with time.

Overall there’s some definite promise here. Iron out some of the kinks and Fake Grave have a unique slant on post-punk/emo that could grow into something truly special down the line. Also, the album art is quite nice to look at...or maybe I just got a thing for ducks.