The Detached Collective - Forever

The Detached Collective

Forever
self-released; 2015

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The Detached Collective is a band hailing from Birmingham, UK comprised of Tom Barter (guitar/lead vocals), Mal Flynn (bass guitar/backing vocals), Chris Moore (guitar/backing vocals) and Joel Allen (drums/backing vocals). The band recently released Forever which is a four-song EP that eventually will be one third of an entire album. Forever is a no thrills rock EP that showcases a talented band with a good amount of energy. They have a similar type of energy to War On Drugs and even a bit of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.

The EP starts with “Forever” which has a classic rock intro that will sound recognizable. It begins with a steady drumbeat that quickly gets swarmed by distorted guitars. The guitar riffs feel almost nostalgic and on top of that are creative and sound warm on the ears. “Forever” never has any lulls and only gets more intense as it progresses with flourishing leads and more impactful drumming. 

The band continues to impress with “Arm The World.” It’s a short song at just over two minutes but it is quite effective between the vocal harmonies, lead vocals and guitar parts. The BPM is fast and they manage to cram a lot in within the short time frame. “You” follows a similar style and feel to the first two songs. The song feels like a throwback to blue collar rock in a good way. Barter sings, “Everybody’s waiting for something - I know there so much more.”

The band closes with “Goodbye” which is the one major deviation on the EP. It’s a simple song revolving around an acoustic guitar and vocals. Barter sings in a lower octave and the guitar picking is gorgeous. I think this is certainly Barter's best vocal performance because it not only shows his range but the subtleties and nuances of his voice. It’s unequivocally the most beautiful song on the EP and I hope to hear more like it in the future.

The Detached Collective, like the majority of indie bands, doesn’t have all the time in the world to work on their music due to outside jobs and family. Hopefully, they can keep at it and continue to play together because they have some skills but probably haven't reached their full potential. I’m looking forward to the next two EP’s.

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