EP: “The Cat Mixtape” by Vlad

Vlad are a Bournemouth 3 piece who celebrate & recreate the finer elements of early to mid 90’s Indie, and rather fine their music is too! On this EP, interestingly titled “The Cat Mixtape” we are treated to all that is good with a wide range of influences from the aforementioned genre.

On “Skin on Skin” we get hints of King Adora in the vocals over some Grungey guitars & heavy bass. The overall sound is American Rock/Grunge yet the strained vocals lend themselves to a more British influence. “Breathe Safe” owes a huge “debt” to Starsailor, especially in the vocals which pay homage to one James Walsh. Some nice twinkly guitars at the beginning before the big mid-song build up. “Carpin Scarlet” reminds me of Mansun in places with more James Walsh-esque vocals. The drums are potent while the guitars and bass stay in Grunge territory on what for me is the standout track. This mish-mash of all that is great from their influences really is rather impressive. “Carmel” carries on in the early 90’s Grunge theme, while “Painkiller” hints at Pavement in places. Tortured vocals remind one of the “shoegaze” era while the feedback is JAMC-esque. James Walsh, you have a lot to answer for!

On the final track, simply titled ’92 we get an idea where the bands influences are taken from simply from the sample at the beginning. This band wear their influences firmly on their sleeves and are not afraid to experiment with it. Stealing from the past is nothing new but taking influence from your heroes and making that sound your own is what’s on show here. I for one would look forward to seeing VLAD in the live arena, and on the strength of these 6 songs would recommend you, the listener, do the same. A competent and enjoyable body of work. More of the same please!

Tracklist
Skin on Skin
Breathe Safe
Carpin Scarlet
Carmel
Painkiller
’92

Line Up
Ben Lowe – Guitar/Vox
T-Moe – Drums
Alfie Tyson – Brown-Bass

Videos

Free download (Name your price)(go on be nice!): http://vladuk.bandcamp.com/

links: soundcloud.com/vladbournemouth
twitter.com/vladbournemouth
vladbournemouth@hotmail.com

Review by Ross A. Ferrone.