EP Review: Pristine

Some Distance are a four-piece “Dreamo” band from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, however, the long-time friends and collaborators are a mixture of Kiwi and Aussie origin. Drawing influence from Shoegaze, Midwest Emo, and Dream Pop, the quartet formed in 2024, and have just released their debut EP, Pristine. 

On my first listen, I was immediately hit by the big, thick production. The title track has a slow groove, rich in depth, and shows precisely why they label themselves “Dreamo”. This is gentle yet powerful, airy yet forceful. The drums & bass build a massive solid foundation for the beautifully bell-like guitar arpeggios and gorgeously breathy vocals. The chorus has a hook that gets right under the skin and sets up shop permanently. A worthy opener for the EP, this song pulls you right in, whilst simultaneously making you wish that there were a lot more than only three more songs on the EP. Superb.

There’s an air of melancholy in the opening strains of Tried Everything, yet there’s grace and beauty in its darkness. “There is a black hole buried in my chest, and it reminds me of all the things I don’t have” are the opening lyrics, so yep, a bit of a musical tearjerker. Tried Everything has all of the strength of Pristine, but expresses it as darkness instead of light, a lovely contrast, artfully done. The ending dissolves into a muted heartbeat underneath some sounds of everyday life, cutlery clinks, a bird sings, voices join in conversation. Nicely placed imagery, summing up the mood of the song.

There’s more energy to Unbalanced, this song positively belts along by comparison to the first two. A song of emotional turmoil, of being tossed and torn, “I feel like a tree losing its leaves suddenly” the refrain in the mid-section. A pensive piano picks out notes under a windchime in duress, to bring Unbalanced to a close. Daydream builds up softly, synth swells and distant chimes, until the harmonized vocals come in, followed a measure later by that signature sound of rolling bass and languid arpeggios in a muted tempo. A spacious offering with an anthemic feel, majestic without the slightest hint of pretentiousness. There are many layers to the music that makes up this song, yet it’s not overdone, just well-crafted and well produced.

This EP is up there with the more elegant and engaging 15-odd minutes that you could treat your ears to. Your ears deserve it, after all, so get Some Distance between yourself and any distractions, and bliss out for a spell. Your ears will love you for it, trust me.