STILL refusing to adhere to a simple genre, dramatic, shoe-gaze rock instrumentalists Capguns return with their latest EP, Night.
A follow up to their hugely popular release Day, the band continue to dowse listeners with guitar laden soundscapes and metal tinged rock.
From the upbeat drum work of the first track Flood, a lighter tone is immediately noticeable in their work.
The same echoed and emotive guitar work remains, but a self assuredness is apparent in the material.
While their debut EP Day demonstrated their skill as musicians, Capguns crank up the quality of their arrangement.
While arguably more positive sounding, it is by no means less angst-ridden; which a descend into crunching guitars attests to.
Fantastic rhythm changes sparkle against the barrage of memorable riffs in the epic track Drift - a prime example of the whole band testing their musical skill to the limits, and it paying off with glorious results.
Weighing in at over six minutes, it descends from a light, clean sound to a screamo driven push of emotion that is certainly one of the highlights on the album.
Particles and Tides continue the cross of soothing melodies with gritty, thrusting chords, that can't help but engross the listener.
The complimentary final tracks Atlas (ebb) and Atlas (flow) work in opposed unison, with the former instilling a hypnotic trance that is countered by the tugging force of the latter.
Where conventionally it has lingered in society's background, the Night EP epitomises the importance of instrumentally focused music.
Challenging the conventions of formal song structure, Capguns not only bend the boundaries of how to write music, they blow them apart.
No mere radio fodder, every track is carefully sculpted, affirming their place as one of the most exciting bands currently operating in North Wales.
Confidently balancing gentle pulses with emotive force, Capguns latest opus can best be defined as simply beautiful.
For more information on the band and to listen to samples of their music, visit
www.myspace.com/capgunsforarcade
The full article contains 339 words and appears in North Wales Pioneer newspaper.