From the San Francisco Bay Area comes the band mayari. The band has been together for over a year after guitarists Ryan Foo and Jordan Torio met by exchanging emails through Craigslist. After a few jam sessions and realizing there was some potential, the duo added drummer Nick Lucido and bassist Bo Zhang. The group doesn’t rely on one single songwriter. Instead it’s a collective focus to mix all their influences to provide a larger range of sound. From angular guitar work and a solid rhythm section to melancholic grooves and melodies. That experimental fusion of styles is why the band decided to call their EP An Imaginary Canvas.
The album opens with “No One Pt. 1.” The song is virtually nonexistent as it’s a very short minute filled interlude with some light guitar riffs and mellow hums. The song is over before it can do anything interesting. Luckily the following song “Spiral” is much more vibrant. Thanks to the guitars and Lucido’s drumming the song is upbeat and a solid rock instrumental. The bass and drums carry the song while the guitars are able to battle it out on which one is more dynamic. The build up leads to a satisfying conclusion. “An Imaginary Canvas Pt. II” is a much funkier instrumental. The groovy vibes is a welcome change that really showcases a different side of mayari. But before they’re able to expand on the sound, the song abruptly ends. While “An Imaginary Canvas Pt. II” was mellow, “PUNKS” brings back that rock feel. With some nasty drumming and solid guitar riffs, mayari is able to express an edge to their music. Foo and Torio break their silence as they finally sing lyrics on the track for the first time on the album. The last song on the album is the longest as mayari put together “No One Pts II & III” together. Fortunately it’s a better listen than PT I. The first half is a jam session while the second half is filled with heavy synth and Japanese vocal samples. An Imaginary Canvas is a free flowing album of musicians putting together their craft. The instrumentals are very strong with everyone getting a time to shine. While you have to love that it’s a collaborative effort it brings together a lot of different approaches. The various styles and techniques displayed makes for poppy and catchy tunes. However the majority of the songs are short. Once you start to enjoy what they’re creating it’s over before you know it. This is a very well done EP and certainly paves the road for an epic LP.
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