Traktor

Where Water Goes EP

Written by: PP on 30/05/2010 16:35:47

I've been following Swedish original screamo / post-hardcore group Traktor closely ever since their first release "Lights" arrived in our mailbox a couple of years back. That album, together with "Sequence The Sequence", were both entirely decent efforts at re-popularizing the roots of the screamo/post-hardcore movement, clearly distinct and different albums from the mass-produced monstrosities that plague today's youth. Yes, they referenced JR Ewing and Refused quite a bit, and a couple of Funeral Diner nods were present as well, but their caustic expression was almost magnetic in its appeal. "Where Water Goes EP" is the first new studio release from the band in two years, and sadly, it only contains two songs, but I guess we'll have to live with it.

One thing to note straight away on the EP is how all the claustrophobic screams and stop-start guitar sequences of their earlier releases have been all but dropped in favour of a clean vocal driven approach. As a result, if the band sounded a bit like Refused before, they now sound exactly like Refused on "The Shape Of Punk To Come". More or less, at least. "Stuck With Distance" integrates some agonizing classical piano to give a small degree of melancholy to the simplistic lead riff, and while the melody-line is ok, it's just not as grabbing as some of the band's earlier work. Perhaps because during the moments where you'd expect the screams to arrive, the band dwells on nearly-shouted clean vocals instead? The title track is much better because of the odd toned chorus, which is pretty catchy in its own right without ever touching on any pop dynamics. It's that ability to make their songs memorable without having to sweeten the melodies or sugarcoat the choruses that made Traktor an interesting band in the past. Lets hope they can keep it up, and perhaps re-introduce some of the screams for their next release.

Download: Where Water Goes
For the fans of: Refused, JR Ewing
Listen: Myspace

Release date 05.05.2010
I Made This / Apocaplexy Records

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