Category:
Rock / Pop

Try if you like:
Ashley Park, Guillemots, Jens Lekman, Magnetic Fields

Call your dentist because The Epochs are sweet. Yes, good, sugary indie pop is what The Epochs are all about. This goes down nicely. The New York based pop band formed back in 2000 by Ryan and Hays Holladay and while this is their second full-length, it is the first you may have heard about. And honestly, it is one you should hear about. There are some definite nods to 60s pop and even a bit of Bee Gee's influences when it comes to the lovely falsetto they seem to have mastered. There is enough experimentation with The Epochs that you don't get bored of their style. 

The opening track, "Thunder and Lightning" is a really great example of what the listener is to expect. It is a mix of great pop hooks, wonderful vocal melodies, and some fun and different rhythms to bring it all together. The introduce a little electro-bleep into the next song, "Opposite Sides". "Love Complete" takes you in a different direction and is where a bit more of that 60s pop influence comes into play. "Mouths To Feed" has some clever percussion tracks in the back keeping the listener guessing. The repetitive piano line seems to work because of this. I thought "Tug Of War" was a little weak. I didn't have enough of those juicy hooks to keep my attention. I was looking for it but never found it. The last track, "Giving Tree" was a great way to leave the album. It's a mellow track with a frantic beat, best I can describe it. It's funky and relaxing at the same time.

There is enough skill revealed on The Epochs eponymous album that they should get some great exposure. Anyone who is a fan of pop or melodic rock should stop and check out The Epochs.