Cosmic Embers have just released their debut single, Apocalypse in Metropolis, and we’ve been taking a few listens here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today.
Cosmic Embers are a family band of Father, son and uncle, all hailing from Ireland. Their sound is quite unique and charmingly unusual.
Apocalypse in Metropolis has a kind of psychedelic 70s feel to it. Perhaps think of the Doors for some comparisons for the feel of the track. With a deep baritone vocal, and a Chris Isaak feeling melody to the track, it feels strangely creepy and a little tongue in cheek almost.
There are places in the track where we felt reminded, vocally, of Nick Cave or Sisters of Mercy. The “dark” feel to the song is very much underlined by Paddy O’Keeffe’s passionate vocals that have a lovely stereo effect on them. The family bond amongst these three talented musicians is very evident and is just lovely to hear.
There’s a section in the middle of the track which really shows off the connection between these three musicians. The guitar and bass feel as though they are both taking a solo at the same time, but without in any way competing with each other. The drums back up this section beautifully and hold the whole song together.
This is truly create and unique music with some exciting instrumentation – especially towards the end with an octave jumping theremin added in for extra excitement. It makes the whole song take on a kind of space theme, almost.
A cautionary but humorous tale about readapting to life in society after growing happily accustomed to isolation, Apocalypse in Metropolis was inspired in part by George Romero’s zombie films, Dawn of The Dead and Land Of The Dead. It has a definite humour to it, but also a certain dark side.
From a production perspective, in our opinion, there are a few EQ adjustments needed to balance out the overall sound. A cut in the low mids around 300Hz would help to bring some clarity to the track. We feel that there’s not much going on in the mids which can make a track seem a bit hollow. A boost around 1000 to 1100Hz would add some fullness. A cut around 5kHz would remove some of the harsh sounds coming from the cymbals. A large shelf boost upwards from around 7-8kHz would bring some air and some extra brightness.
For a debut single, this really is a cracking start. Cosmic Embers have managed to already craft themselves a unique signature sound which, in a market saturated with new artists, is more than half the battle won already. We can’t wait to hear what they come up with next!