Aniqatia - Erratics

Aniqatia

Erratics
self-released; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Aniqatia is a band from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania comprised of Chris Navatier (guitar/vocals), Josh Beck (guitar/vocals), Jared Balogh  (bass/vocals) and Nicholas Fritz  (drums). They recently released their debut EP Erratics, which is a guitar-based album that isn't comfortable latching onto one particular genre. The band doesn't genre hop on the five songs of the EP but rather they conjure their own particular cocktail so that by the end of the EP it starts to sound like a signature sound. They mix elements of post-rock with punk and alternative. Sometimes they douse their guitar in a lot of reverb and sound similar to something you would hear from Explosions in the Sky while other times their guitars cascade and intersect as if it came from a Pretty Girls Make Graves album.

The production is just about perfect for a guitar record. It’s certainly not lo-fi but on the same token it is not so produced where it sounds almost too perfect. It sounds like four guys in a room together. In my opinion the way a rock band should sound. 

The songs are rather sparse when it comes to vocals, which was a bold artistic decision. Throughout the EP they are strategically placed. You aren't going to find a surplus of vocal hooks here but you will find immersive songs that are full of meaning.

The first song Peregrine had a good amount of energy into the air. They combine a gritty, distorted bass with a hard-hitting drumbeat that serves as the anchor for the reverb-laced guitars to make the atmosphere. The guitar work stylistically changes a number of times throughout keeping the song engaging. 

“Maneuvers” contains a number of cascading, intersecting guitar riffs where both players are playing lead while “Elgy” flirts with a good amount of pot-rock tendencies. The band hits its apex with the closer “Shark Bay.” They reach for places they haven't gone before and succeed. The song soars and the last minute is not to be missed.

Erratics is an impressive debut EP. The band has defined a sound they can build off of with this EP while exploring variations to their sound. 

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