Winter Skin
Hogar, 2021
9/10
An El Paso, Texas outfit with an affinity for dream-pop and shoegaze ideas, EEP is Ross Ingram, Rosie Varela, Sebastian Estrada, Serge Carrasco and Lawrence Brown III, among some guests, and Winter Skin explores even more diversity in their often nostalgic formula.
“Hanging On A Wire” starts the listen with a calm, dreamy approach before bursting into thumping alt-rock that soars load amid punchy drumming and agile synth, and “No Inbetween” follows with playful drumming and bouncy bass lines as hazy post-punk enters a very ‘80s influenced landscape.
In the middle, “Ángeles” possesses an almost spiritual angle where psychedelic ebbs help make this one of the album’s best tracks that features djembe from Keith Thompson and Belinda Subraman, while “Today I Woke Up” emits a more firm presence on drums alongside expressive singing and busier textures that take nods to today’s indie-rock scene. “Stargazer” then burns slow, mysteriously and welcomes gentle moments of beauty as well as ambience that’s as precise as it is interesting.
“Time Crunch” arrives near the end and swirls with both melody and power amid acrobatic drumming and crunchy guitars that work together with grit, and “Slow Down” exits the listen with a heavenly, surreal backdrop where Kristyn Ingram’s flute adds much to meticulous finish.
A fantastic outing that fans of dream-pop, post-punk, synth-rock, alt-rock and indie-rock won’t have any trouble enjoying, EEP’s sonically radiant formula is reverb friendly, highly unpredictable and even more eclectic this time around, and I doubt anyone is going to have a problem with that.
Travels well with: Ross Ingram- Sell The Tape Machine; Glaare- Your Hellbound Heart