Review | Low Lying Sun – Did You Mean It?

Label: LAB Records

‘Did You Mean It?’ is the second EP from fast rising stars Low Lying Sun. A wail of feedback heralds in the opening track ‘Heaven Knows’ which is an arena sized chunk of anthemic indie. With verses that play softly and create a warm mood, the choruses explode to life in swirls of ethereal noise and atmosphere by the bucketload.

‘Low Lying Sun’ was conceived of at the same time as the band itself was born hence the sharing of names. It starts on a sombre note with moody guitar and soft, airy vocals draped in sorrow and heartache. By the time the chorus slithers in, the atmospheric noises that swirl around the track give it an almost ghostly quality as the drums pulse. To think that this is one of the first songs that the band wrote shows the strength of the band as natural songwriters.

‘Brother’ needs little more than piano and vocal to grab your attention. By the time the track is drawing to a close, this ballad is devolving into a cacophony with drums under full assault and sounds that shouldn’t be coming from a guitar unless under duress. For the final song on the EP, Low Lying Sun choose the bold step of including a cover of their own song (‘Heaven Knows’). For this though, they forego the usual instrumentation and instead keep it bare with little more than pulsating synth and vocals to create this gorgeous version of an already beautiful song.

Low Lying Sun are already creating arena sized indie with the maturity of bands that have been around for much longer. As a second EP, ‘Did You Mean It?’ is years ahead of where a band should be at this stage.