Review: Memory Engine trip through hazy days on self-titled debut EP
The indie duo leaves a mark with their first outing.
From the ghostly and somber opening moments of “Lady Aqiba,” it’s most evident that indie duo Memory Engine position themselves as ones to watch. “Must get to the top before she suffocates on weighted earth / Erased were the stories she so long had sought,” crows Gwen Gudaitis over electroshock sonic waves. There’s a fierce storm brewing. Instruments thrash as the tides against hard rock lining the sea. Gudaitis and longtime collaborator Josh Kramer drill down into a deep well of styles and tones, echoing the moans of folk tradition, particularly on “Dear Dismay.”
“Across the Cuff” clicks open like slotting a cassette tape into its player. The acoustic guitar takes your hand and invites you into a hallowed cathedral that exemplifies the band’s cavernous appetite for rich layers that are equally beguiling and hypnotic. “Let it sail through the quiet, chaos, drift / Watch it all unwind, step back and breathe a bit, take a reflective minute,” Gudaitis sings in breathy whispers. It’s within the most subdued moments that they shine the brightest.
Memory Engine crafts a shining three-piece sampler of their work. As a debut, it shows glimmers of great promise. They say you have your entire life to make your debut project, and Kramer and Gudaitis should be resoundingly proud of what they’ve done here. Now, let’s hear what they do next.
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