quiet fires - fulcrum

Quiet Fires

Fulcrum
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Hailing from Austin, TX Quiet Fires formed earlier this year and is in the embryonic stage of their aesthetic development but still managed to record an impressive three-song EP called Fulcrum. The band delivers accessible and fun indie rock that manages to be creatively engaging and technically proficient. Every member of this three-piece is essential to the mix and no one is standing in the background with these songs. The parts each member play is usually very inventive and adds a lot to the song. I think the best way to put is by saying the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Fulcrum kicks off with “Wasted Winter,” which has a great interplay between the bassist and the drummer. As far as I'm concerned if you have an exceptional rhythm section you already have a lot of things working for you and they don’t disappoint. The bass line has a bit of funk attached to it while the drum work is off the hook. It reminded me a bit of one of my all time favorite bands Menomena. The guitar is melodic and the vocals are on point as well. 


"Destroyer” was my favorite track on the album. The bass and drum were again exceptional. They never seem to take the easy way out and their technical ability isn't just a wow factor it's also aesthetically pleasing. The most straightforward song on the EP is "Send/Receive". It’s solid but not quite as immediately pleasing as the previous song. That being said it is quite melodic and pretty catchy.

Fulcrum is a short EP and a nice, solid foundation for them to build upon. The songs are well written and the band shows a lot of potential. 

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