‘The Scenes You Create’ is the first EP from Penelope Tree since they formed in late 2015 and what a release it is. Plenty of bands find themselves held back by debuts that suffer from the poor execution of good ideas but not these guys as they firmly mark themselves out as ones to watch in the future.
The fade in and intro of ‘The Way You Fall Asleep’ sets the scene perfectly as Penelope Tree quickly sweep you along on a sea of melodic guitars and vocal harmonies. There’s a personal edge that sits at the heart of the band and the confident way that the anthemic chorus is delivered instantly brings thoughts of Taking Back Sunday to mind.
‘A Night Like This’ is also brilliantly structured as the hook-filled chorus and crashing guitars see the band deliver exactly what you want from emotionally charged pop-punk. Unsurprisingly, ‘Restless’ keeps the quality impressively high but it’s no mere copy of the songs before it. Instead it ebbs and flows as Penelope Tree make great use of the quiet/loud dynamic whilst further expressing their own musical identity.
Likewise, ‘Stanwick Lakes’ is equally as great as the rest of the EP as the four-piece continue to show their talent for writing brilliant and relatable songs, and it’s a strong way to round off the release. What is really impressive about ‘The Scenes You Create’ is how well-established it sounds. There’s a vibrancy about it which makes it instantly appealing, and a comforting familiarity about it which draws you in; if somebody told you this was the third or fourth EP by a band five years into their career you would believe them such is the quality.
However, one of the most refreshing things about the release is its honesty. There are no gimmicks, no contrived image, or stage-managed attitude, just a collection of fantastic emo/pop-punk songs played with honesty and heart, and the music speaks for itself. ‘The Scenes You Create’ was self-released and Penelope Tree are currently unsigned, but if enough people give it a listen and the band capitalise on their talent then that certainly won’t be the case for much longer.
CHRIS HILSON