Review By Judson Valdez
We got the chance to book Eternal Summers to a show we held a few nights ago and I had a great time watching them. Following the show they were kind enough to give me a copy of their new record (which came out last Tuesday) for review, so I thought I’d do a kind of all in one wrap up of their live show/new recordings.
In addition to helping put on the show a few nights back, I also ran the sound. As I introduced myself to the band, Nicole Yun (guitar and vox) and Daniel Cundiff (drums and vox), to get some sound specs for their set to come, Daniel was quick to mention the need for some good reverb on the vocals. This was no shock to me as the latest trend in the new group of punk influenced bands out there has been finding their surf rock roots and turning up the verb in both the guitars and vocals. Later on in the night, when asked how much reverb they would like on their voice, Cundiff replied,
“In a sea of reverb, we like the ripples in the water to come up to about knee high.”
Though I put this in the review partially just because I thought it was a great way to answer my question, I also point it out because Cundiff’s statement is a very good summation of Eternal Summers. I’ve been listening to the band’s new album, Silver, on repeat for the last few days trying to decide what I think of it for this review. The thing about Silver is that both its strengths and its weaknesses lie in this “knee high,” mentality of moderation. Some tracks, especially early on, such as opener “Disciplinarian,” show much more of the punk aspects of the two piece while slower and more “chill wave,” sounding tracks such as “Eternal,” show off the bands surf rock tendencies mixed with a Beach House vibe. This nice moderate mix of the current genre trends is what makes this band interesting and very enjoyable to listen to for me.
Though, I still feel like they have some room to grow. While the album is a really solid listen for me, I still feel that there are moments where the careful balance of genres gets a little on the slow side. I think what I’m trying to say is that in our current trend of music, Eternal Summers fits right in, which is both good and bad.
Being a hype band these days has so many obvious advantages, but with it comes a danger of blending in too much with thousands of other bands doing very similar things. For a band like Eternal Summers, the subtle differences are key to making them stand out, which, for a punk band, can be difficult to accomplish. But, seeing the simplicity of their sound live, and then listening to the slightly more texturized version of their songs on the album, I can honestly say that they hit that subtlety in so many ways, and I think that the future seems bright for them. If you have a chance, see them live, and buy the record as well.