By Erin Wright
On their new album, Brighton-based quartet The New Eves claim that "The new eve is rising" on the title track. An opener that strikingly chooses spoken word poetry, powerfully hammering in that this is the dawn of the beginning for The New Eves on their first full-length LP. The decision to focus heavily on their lyricism is a choice that pays off, as it is a strong point on what the band calls a "Hagstone Rock" album. This refers to a rock formed with a hole in the middle, which is believed in European folklore to reveal mystical items once looked through. This is no coincidence, as the Old Europe folklore motif is present throughout the project. It's found specifically in the choice of instruments here, which a listener will quickly discover upon a first listen, as violins, cellos, and flutes fill the sometimes ethereal, often hard-rocking instrumentals.
The New Eves wear their influences on their sleeve for this project, one that I couldn't seem to shake is that of The Cranberries. There is a certain fiery, feminine energy to frontwoman Nina Winder-Lind on songs like "Highway Man" and "Cow Song" that reminds me of a young Dolores O'Riordan. Other audible influences are as timeless as the great Patti Smith, and as modern as their English compatriots Black Country, New Road. This isn't necessarily a good thing, however, as I found myself thinking more about who they sounded like than I did appreciating a wholly original voice.
With The New Eve is Rising I found myself struggling to fully grasp an overarching tone for the album, as it bounces between more aggressive post-punk selections ("Highway Man", "The New Eve"), and tracks that border on hippy folk ("Mary", "River Runs Red", "Astrolabe") more than I would like to hear on a shorter, nine-song song album. These shifts are to be expected on a band's first record though, and for a band's introduction to the world, The New Eves set their feet at the start of a path to becoming a standout English folk rock band in the near future.
The New Eve is Rising by The New Eves is out now via Transgressive Records.
[Photo: Katie Silvester]