Cloakroom Q - Going For A Walk & I’m Not Coming Back

By Rhys Mayes

cloakroom Q's Album Cover

Many alternative bands like to say they don’t care what people think about them. I’ve seen few bands tastefully use this attitude in their performances without coming across as obnoxious or edgy. Cloakroom Q certainly don’t fall into this category. The way that these guys use fashion on stage is an excellent contrast to their sound, showing slight kitsch with a side of despair.

The EP opens with the emotive ‘South of Sane’. A fairly simple track, based around a two chord Acoustic guitar part. The unembellished arrangement is the perfect backdrop for vocalist Ryan Elmore’s flowing lyricism. His poetic, atonal delivery is drowning in emotion, much like his desolate lyrics. The verses of this track are broken up by interludes of trumpet, appropriately unrefined.

This truly melancholic track is followed by ‘d0nkroom’, a 40 second track comprised mainly of a drum machine cracking out a four-on-the-floor, accompanied by a distorted vocal sample and a discordant trumpet sample. Although an elementary electronic track that could have fared better as a bonus track, it acts as a somewhat jarring transition from the dejected sound of the first track into the lively third track.

‘People With Energy’ is a standout cut on this EP. The chorus stuck in my head immediately the first time I heard it, with mixing tight enough as to compliment the pop sensibility of it, but not so tight as to eliminate its emotion. This is the first time we hear Ryan in full flight. His delivery during the verses is similar to that of Jordan Dreyer of La Dispute. The choruses bring a more melodious aspect to his singing that we didn’t get to hear on the opening track, as well as the vitality of the full band, capturing the atmosphere of their live shows perfectly. This track especially allows bassist Dan Monaghan to shine, establishing the liveliness of the track with a very melodically active bassline, and demonstrating his rhythmic ability in the choruses.

The penultimate track on the EP is ‘Feeding The Stranger’. Guitarist Conall Coulter’s work on this track is a fine example of the band’s excellent ability to combine the dissonant with the harmonic. The roomy harmonies in the chorus combined with the endless synth drone give the song an uneasy atmosphere which only amplifies its dark mood. As much as I love this track, I can’t help but think that a slightly more liberal attitude to mixing could have given it the final push to the somewhat abrasive and raw sound that the band seem to be going for.

Finally, we have ‘Unearth’, which in my opinion is the best track on the record. The band really brought the dissonance of the previous cut to the forefront of this track. It begins with the lethargy of a doom metal track, leisurely coming up to speed around the two minute mark. Many of the guitar sounds on this track scream Sonic Youth to me, with the parts leaning far more towards texture than musicality. This track is another that would benefit from less precise mixing, especially in Daniel Havern’s drums, which are evidently very precisely treated. So much so that some errors in his playing towards the end of the track (which would otherwise be a perfect addition to the cacophony of the finale) are fairly apparent and somewhat distracting. This however, should not take away from Daniel’s performance on the rest of the record, it’s just unfortunate that it happened right at the end of the EP.

Give these guys a follow on their socials and check out one of their shows if you get a chance. Their vibrant attire and lively atmosphere is really something I haven’t often seen done well by many local bands.

Links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/disappearlikethis/

Bandcamp - https://cloakroomq.bandcamp.com/

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HnsdLU76lVX3XTOpeVnu6