Nightbox have sparked a lot of interest for us lately in the lead up for the brand new release that is The Panic Sequence EP, striking hard and fast with new tracks, some hits, some misses. Given that two posts ago I told everyone to watch out for this guaranteed-to-be-amazing record, I thought it necessary that I follow it with an assessment of whether or not I jumped the gun on this one.
Granted, I do get a little excited about music sometimes, but with sweeping statements like the one I made for The Panic Sequence, it’s hard to justify anything living up to it really. Starting on that solemn note, Nightbox have put together an incredibly fair effort and one that is still a big upgrade from where they were when they released the self-titled EP just three years ago. Back then their songs, although clearly being the sign of something great to come, seemed hollow – like they were missing one element that they were hoping to catch in the new release.
Casual verses juxtaposed against frenzied choruses seem to be the formula they’ve gone with for most of this one. Not that it’s a bad thing. In tracks like Wonderworlds, it’s a beautiful transition between verse and chorus, annexing the song from soft indie into the realm of meaningful beats and melodies that could make the most stubborn of foots start tapping. The title track, The Panic Sequence is another one to note, snaking through tinges of funk and noticeable traces of all the elements that make up a lot of the Australian indie scene at the moment, evident in bands like Olympic Ayres, The Griswolds and YesYou. It’s a shame about that chorus though, the verses are so promising.
The sad part really is that the EP really takes off from the start and the first single, Burning, which I wrote about only two posts ago. After that, it kind of fizzles out apart from a few flickers of hope here and there in the aforementioned songs. I was really excited about this EP and after listening to The Panic Sequence EP a few times it pains me to say that despite being a really solid short collection, Nightbox seem to be at a similar place to where they were three years ago. The never-ending efforts of a band that always has something better on the horizon. They’re just yet to come out swinging.
*****3/5
