If you like plodding indie rock with a lot of heart, GIN WAR are for you. ‘Piece of Moon’ is five honest and emotional songs for fans of bands like Cheap Girls, Weezer and Lemuria. The New Jersey outfit’s sophomore release builds on the solid base ‘Half of a Good Plan’ and provides GIN WAR a platform to expertly and assuredly deliver their best songs to date.
On opener ‘Cement’, Mike Planko’s bass leads the way, allowing the guitars to sit back and work their magic in an unobtrusive and understated way. That’s the best way to describe this EP as a whole – GIN WAR are confident and, more importantly, talented enough to allow their songs to resonate without resorting to over-the-top choruses or instrumentation. There is nothing on ‘Piece of Moon’ that feels like it was forced, everything is natural and organic and the result is a beautiful release that it is perfect for those wintery evenings. The harmonies on ‘Trip’ sit so nicely on top of the intricate guitar riffs, whilst Planko’s bass once more plays an important part in driving the song along.
‘Silent Movie’ starts with a beach-y guitar riff accompanied with some reverb-soaked ‘woos’, the chorus is so rocking and it’s so easy to imagine this album playing through a car stereo driving along a beach-side road somewhere in America. ‘Still Mine’ drops it down several notches and provides a moment of introspection through layered vocals and a solitary acoustic guitar, allowing the previous three songs to settle before ‘Can’t Survive’ rounds off the EP in a masterful way. It’s a slow burner that provides the EP with a solid, anthemic ending that leaves you wanting more, whilst feeling completely content with what you’ve been given. This EP is the whole package.
GIN WAR aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but since when did the wheel need to be reinvented? ‘Piece of Moon’ is an EP that deserves your attention.
CONOR MACKIE