Review
WE STOLE FIRE – MAPS
Released 23rd May 2012
Words: Gaz Martinez
Brighton is one of those places where many people of many different cultures come together in one giant melting pot, so it’s not a surprise that this crosses over into the art of music, while We Stole Fire’s EP Maps may not jump social borders or blend cultural lines together, but you get the feeling that this three piece are a young product of this environment, bursting with energy and ideas.
There is a small bridge section near the end of Standing Strong in Grey proving to be one such example, building up to the final chorus nicely in a way that will get you chanting or nodding your head involuntarily. I Miss Home, Sometimes is one of those songs that you can close your eyes, listen and relate to the lyrics as the bass and drums pulse the verse along before exploding out into the main song body, while the bridge with added piano pieces is simply majestic.
Trigger Happy is definitely the odd one out of the bunch, but not by much, and definitely the best track here, the intro seems to lead you somewhere, but the rest of the song progresses in ways that differ from the previous songs on Maps. The instruments all fulfil the somewhat constraining roles being in a three piece pop punk band offers, nothing stands out majorly but Katie, Tony and Kiefer all operate within their spaces well without over compensating. The lyrics could have used a bit more power behind them, so that they do not get swallowed by the guitars and drumming in the background, Mclean’s potential as a singer does sound obvious enough however, and there are plenty of singalong moments to keep someone from turning off after hearing this EP once. Worth at least a dozen listens.
