Sunday 1 November 2020

Erai - Only Future EP


Labels: lifeisafunnything/strictly no capital letters

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 30 Oct 2020


Tracklist:


1. You Must Be A Ghost

2. Life Among The Savages

3. Sixteen (Only Future)

4. Version


Another one of my favourite German post-hardcore bands Erai just dropped a new four-song EP. It's only just been a year since the release of their second full-length Before We Were Wise And Unhappy, but here they are, spreading more musical cheer during these tough times. Only Future will be available on vinyl (from German label lifeisafunnything) and on tape (via UK label strictly no capital letters) with pre-orders currently live for the vinyl pressing. It's also available digitally via Erai's bandcamp page.


For an EP, Only Future’s running time is really generous. Opener ‘You Must Be A Ghost’ is a dark mix of post-hardcore and post-punk to begin with. The clean vocals are slightly haunting and together with the repeating riffs, it sort of reminds me of The Cure in places before Erai steps into more familiar territory. The bass is more prevalent on the recording and the percussion seems to sit quite high in the mix, adding a sense of chaos to the music. It’s controlled though and the quintet knows how to weave introspection and thoughtfulness into every passage.


As with some of the other screamo/post-hardcore releases I’ve reviewed over the last few weeks (especially Black Love more recently), Erai is venturing further into earlier territory in terms of the sub-genre and ‘Life Among The Savages’ has that light/heavy mix going on where the band moulds melodic instrumentation with fluctuating harsh/clean vocals and the occasional increase in dissonance. It also goes by too quickly.


Garage/Indie are not the first genres you think about when listening to Erai, but there is a nod to both on ’Sixteen (Only Future)’ in places. This is a more thoughtful song all round with energetic bursts of hardcore alongside quieter passages that are joined by spoken-word samples and extended instrumental sections. It’s a glorious song filled with atmosphere and genuine feeling. As the sun radiates my living room, the positive disposition of the music gives me the same energy.


EP closer ‘Version’ begins immediately afterwards with gentle acoustic guitar and ambience before exploding into a really cinematic and expansive instrumental, with subtle black metal atmosphere being injected into Erai’s post-hardcore. It’s got an electronica vibe and the spoken-word passage is heart-wrenching, showing the sentiment and humanity that exists within Erai’s song-writing and performance on Only Future. The vocals sit deep in the mix here, letting the music envelope them and in doing so, make this the perfect song to end on. 


I think perspective and self-reflection are very important things at the moment and this EP allows you to do both, whether it was intended or not. Music is such a big part of our lives and often what we hear/listen to is dictated by our moods. In this case, Only Future dictates your mood and provides the basis for calming meditative thoughts and feelings. It’s more than just another post-hardcore release.


You can stream and download Only Future via Erai's bandcamp page below, where you can also pre-order it directly from them:-



Erai - https://www.facebook.com/eraibln/


Physical copies can also be pre-ordered from lifeisafunnything and strictly no capital letters below:-


lifeisafunnything (vinyl) - http://lifeisafunnything.limitedrun.com/

strictlynocapitalletters (tape) - https://sncl.collective-zine.co.uk/ (Note: pre-orders for the tape pressing are not available yet, but keep checking)


lifeisafunnything - https://www.facebook.com/lifeisafunnything123/

strictlynocapitalletters - https://www.facebook.com/strictlynocapitalletters/

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