CedarsmokeEverything Is The Worst

Everything Is The Worst is a pretty apt title given current times–but it’s not global pandemics that shape the dark and occasionally comic narratives of the new EP from Brisbane rockers Cedarsmoke.

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It’s the pandemic of one’s own existence and the subsequent exploration of a particular state of being that make this the band’s darkest, most authentic release to date.

It’s taken months for Cedarsmoke to get this EP out into music land, and it’s likely due to the aforementioned journey that comes with a melancholic state. Melancholy is the overriding idea here but Cedarsmoke don’t set you up to bum you out, rather, they want you to relate and have you explore your own being with them.

It’s the power to generate such vivid landscapes of longing, loss, frustration and doubt that makes Cedarsmoke one of the most relatable bands going.

Lovely and unexpected as it is to have the gentle lull of a piano break open a new release, Cedarsmoke don’t waste any time in building up the textures and action in Pure Heroin. It’s a tragic, contemplative little number written as an homage to the Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious and his on-off girlfriend Nancy Spungen. The unabashed realness of the 80s pop-rock tinged opener draws you in intently, creating a somewhat relatable number that cements Cedarsmoke’s suspected reputation as natural, captivating storytellers.

And much of the EP follows suit. Latest single Keep Passing The Open Window is as much an introspective reflection as it is a direct message, while The Grim Reaper’s Song simply oozes imagery. Your mind will conjure up images of Cedarsmoke all comfortably–or uncomfortably if you consider their potential state of mind–holed up in a darkened room splayed with instruments and smoke contemplating the monotony of life.

Standout track Feel Bad Hit Of The Summer solidifies the nature and intentions of Cedarsmoke. A grungy, contemplative little track that trudges along in a seemingly calculated way, you’ll feel your heart crack open, breaking. The return of the superior piano that shields tenderly the painful sentiments emulated by the other instruments, wraps up a well-intentioned, well-executed EP.

It’s the power to generate such vivid landscapes of longing, loss, frustration and doubt that makes Cedarsmoke one of the most relatable bands going.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Feel Bad Hit Of The Summer, Pure Heroin, The Grim Reaper’s Song
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