Inner Circles – Obscured Memories EP
Inner Circles – Obscured Memories EP
Self-Released
Release Date: 06/12/2023
Running Time: 28:14
Review by Gaz Bates
8/10
‘Inner Circles’ is a Melancholic rock band from Dublin, Ireland. That was about as much as I knew before I first started listening to their latest EP. I say “their”, but actually ‘Inner Circles’ consists of one person, John O’Kelly. “Melancholic Rock” is as good a categorisation as any for this EP. ‘Obscured Memories’ is a 5 track EP that has the same vibe all the way through but whilst exploring other genres, there is some Shoegaze, a hint of 90s Gothic Doom and a sprinkling of New Wave. The production is fantastic, the vocals are haunting and each song is made up of intricate layers. The guitar playing is deliberate, precise and meaningful, the synths accompany this well.
The EP’s opening song ‘Drowned’ is a Gothic New Wave number with a huge chorus. ‘Unravelling’ is the lead single and it is easy to see wh, with fantastic vocals and another chorus that sticks in your head like a splinter. ‘Circles’ is my favourite song on this release, a calming grief riddled track, the guitar solo in particular is a highlight of this song. ‘Ashes’ is the longest song on here, clocking in at 7 minutes, keeping the melancholy but with glimpses of hope shining through the nonchalant delivery of lyrics such as
“A Star fell from the sky, crashed right through the earth” .
This keeps the bleakness alive, and it is really quite haunting. Closing out this EP is the aptly named “End”, an instrumental number that showcases the musicianship of writer, JohnO’Kelly.
What John has done here is create a beautifully tragic release, worthy of the most melancholy Vampire. I listened to all 5 songs a lot, and I will keep on listening to them. There is something cathartic in the music, soothing but heart wrenching at the same time. I mentioned Vampires because this is an album worthy of being the soundtrack to a Vampiric movie exploring the hopelessness and vastness of their immortal lives. This may sound like a strange thing to say in a music review, but as I sat listening to each song it was all I could think about. Now this may have been to do with it being near Halloween when I checked it out but still, I think it is fitting.
Beautifully tragic & Hauntingly beautiful.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Drowned
02. Unravelling
03. Circles
04. Ashes
05. End
LINE-UP:
John O’Kelly – Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drums
LINKS:
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