EP Review: Wrap You In The Sun

It’s always fun to keep an ear out for contestants of broadcasted talent shows, such as The Voice, or New Zealand Idol, as it’s interesting to see whether the shows are able to properly provide the exposure needed to make a career of music, or whether the artists have their 15 minutes of fame and fade into obscurity

Brendon Thomas and the Vibes, a three piece hailing from Auckland, made a name for themselves by securing the third position in X Factor New Zealand in 2015, and the only band in X Factor history to make to the grand finale. Fast-forward two years later and they are preparing for the release of their EP, Wrap You In The Sun.

Guitarist and Vocalist Brendon Thomas has certainly gained a lot more confidence since his first appearance in X Factor. With a general smoothness to his voice, he has a similar tone to that of John Mayer or Bruno Mars, with a hint of the power of Lenny Kravitz. The vocals are high energy and clean, which is a refreshing change for the rock genre. Nothing but positive sensations and vigour from the start with the opening track, Let It Fly.

No strangers to rhythm, all three musicians work together to create a bluesy funk that still holds true to rock traditions. Just recently getting some airtime on The Rock FM, Copper Shades has a slow crescendo with a muted verse, and a chorus at full noise, with pace building throughout the track. The track has a rather traditional song structure (intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-outro), but great use of an extended clean guitar solo that reaches into the adjoining chorus (perhaps some influence from Santana).

Brendon Thomas and the Vibes have provided a variety of music on this EP, from fast and funky, to slow and dominantly vocally melodic. The styles vary from track to track, with many potential influences; Flowers has a clear Bee Gees sound to it, and is also reminiscent of Spandau Ballet’s True. Quieter tracks like Summer’s Winter, which starts off with a veritable display of dissonance and whammy, but is a slow starter, almost ditching the guitars completely to give the feel of acapella performance. It gains pace and volume during the break, almost out of place, but as the listener you are looking out for the guitar performance in each track.

They haven’t rushed this release, and I think they made the right decision in doing so. Wrap You In The Sun is a solid demonstration of their uncompromising ideals, and technical musicianship.