The Search formed in 1999, in Sweden, under the name The Silverslut. The quartet then changed its name in 2004 to go with the release of its eponymous album. The band consists of Razmig Tekeyan (guitar, vocals), Stephen Burt (guitar), Erik Nyberg (bass) and Johann Bernövall (drums). Their latest album, Extras, contains 12 tracks with a whopping 50 minute run time.
We begin the album on Halt, a semi-acoustic track that is the perfect intro to Extras. The guitars have a mildly hypnotic rhythm to accompany the tempered, calm, vocal work. The song is filled with light textures including the percussions which rely heavily on the snare and very minorly on the kick. We see something similar in Dead Silent. The guitar and vocals kick the track off, but the percussive elements come in a lot sooner. I find this really melodic, light atmosphere is a recurring theme throughout the album. We find it in tracks like Eyes To The Ground as well. However, it incorporates the darker elements and themes in a brilliant way.
In tracks like Just Passing Through and Moving Target, the darker textures really come through. The edginess in the dark saw synth really overlaps everything, but the light synth contrasts it perfectly. The percussions add some vibrant textures in the background to balance everything out. The production work on this album is impeccable, utilising the pans, echoes, reverb and spacing perfectly. Bunny is another track that takes the darker tones and makes it beautiful. However, the light tones add an amazing contrast. The Search has created a track that fits perfectly into the album.
Writing On The Wall is probably the most unique track on the album. With a strong Punk theme, heavy bass lines and more powerful drums, the track is quite the headbanger. Additionally, the distortion is perfectly contrasted with the clean elements. It’s got a bit of shoegaze feeling to it as well which is always a bonus. This is probably my favourite track on the album with The Search really going all out on the instruments. The upliftment continues in tracks like A Night At The Beach — a track with a lot of playfulness in it. Additionally, the song keeps you waiting for the sweet climax in the chorus by slowly building up for a whole two minutes!
It’s A Void is a more upbeat track with grimmer lyrics. While the track itself sounds happy and hopeful, the lyrics describe some rather hard experiences. The vocals are also a lot darker, deeper and overall sound a bit more hollow. However, the music does such a great job at masking that with the light tones, powerful drums, and synthesizers. Does It Resonate? takes it down a notch, almost returning to what we started the album on. The semi-acoustic feel with the light textures and powerful, loud vocals return, filling you with much hope. It’s the perfect song to end the album coming full circle.
The Search has created an emotional ride in their album Extras. Moreover, the musical direction has been absolutely sublime and their experience shines through.
Be sure to stream Extras today!
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I listen to and make silly noises while analysing why people behave the way they do.
