Harrison Miles (vocals/guitar/drums/bass), Nathaniel Essma (guitar), Ben Lohrding (drums) Sean Latter (bass) and Ben Engen (keyboard/percussion) are Atomic Cafe. The band is back with their best effort yet entitled Further. The EP contains five songs and is a killer mix of various styles. You can pick up on elements of surf, ’50s pop, contemporary indie rock and more.
The effort is a complete DIY effort and it’s one of the better home recordings I have heard in recent memory. I could clearly hear the different elements in the mix and thought the dynamics were well handled. On that note I still think a band should be handing off their mixes to a professional mastering engineer which I think is well worth the cost. “Killing An Afternoon” is the opener and certified highlight. The song has clear '50s pop and soul feel to it. Miles delivers a very soulful and heartfelt vocal performance. The whole band deserves kudos. I appreciate the understated bass work and slick guitar picking. Lohrding was stopping and coming back in at appropriate times to really emphasize certain sections. The lyrics were on point as well. They were interpretative, avoiding cliches and occasionally tongue-in-cheek. Miles sings, “Soft vines down to your hazel eyes / Topped off with a secret smile / We’ve got plans to devise / Souls red baby don't lose your breath / Because I'll love you to death / Jungle cats in our heads.” “Apollo” sounded like a cleaner version of The Strokes that implemented a little more surf into their music. The hook is catchy, infectious and does everything you hope from a good melody. The boys have some fun on “Couscous.” It seemed like a energy filled song that would translate really well live. “Rickshaw” is the most joyful and upbeat song. They sound like a more jam band version of Local Natives. They close with “Further” which is the smoothest and most lounge-worthy song in the batch until it isn’t. It starts off so subdued but eventually feels pretty epic. The double lead guitar part is just bad ass and contains some great vocals as well. Great way to end. Atomic Cafe is case of a band starting to really find their groove. I love hearing when a band or musician finds that X-factor that defines their music. I hope this is just the beginning. Recommended.
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