Sick
Confliction are Bristol’s own connoisseurs of the laid back groove, rising
triumphantly from the ashes of previous identity Heroine/Hero (a band name now
forever immortalised as the title of this debut EP). After a considerable
amount of time popping up in venues all over the Bristol scene, this fresh and
funky four-piece have shown their worth with a sound built up from chilled out
beats, smooth vocals and reggae laden guitars. Sick Confliction sound like a
Jeff Buckley fronted blues-rock explosion and The Heroine/Hero EP is five
tracks of carefully crafted bliss.
The EP
starts with ‘Sick Chill’ as an unassuming bass line and solid beat allow a
jaunty riff to lead the flow of the track. It’s a slick slice of easy listening
with echoes of reggae, jazz and funk drenched over it. The vocals of Harry
Walker soothe and soar in equal measure and although the song rarely moves from
a solitary gear, that feels just fine and adds to the calming atmosphere
created by the instrumentals. ‘Air’ channels the groove even more so, using
additional delayed guitar notes with a sophisticated twist. The song coasts
along, rarely stepping from the robust beats created by drummer Dave Preece.
It’s emotive, heartfelt, summertime listening.
‘Inspector
Dread’ continues the relaxed sounds, and it’s a lyrically strong track where
Walker’s voice really hits a stride with some great hooks. The rhythmical
set-up shows off it’s strength here, as it also does in ‘Drumstick’ (titled so
due to guitarist Jack Dennis’ use of a drumstick on his fret-board during live
shows to create the quirky and atmospheric guitar sounds). The track has more
drive than the previous songs on the EP as a big beat kicks in, giving
everything much more urgency. Bass runs are thick and funky, guitars flow from
jangling chords to delicately picked notes and the vocals remain as reliable as
ever.
Frontman
Harry takes the reigns with solo acoustic track ‘Take More’, which is a
stripped down take on everything Sick Confliction are about, without losing the
essence of guile and cool that hangs over it. It’s a great way to finish the
EP, which is a fine example of a band that clearly take influences from many
genres and pockets of world music. It’s refreshing to hear a band with such
determination to carve out a niche for themselves, which will no doubt open
many doors for them in the coming months.
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