Blake Duncan - Frost is Gonna Bite EP

Blake Duncan

Frost is Gonna Bite EP
self-released; 2014

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Blake Duncan seems to have all the right ingredients one needs to be a successful singer/songwriter. On his recent EP Frost is Gonna Bite he displays some of the characteristics one might associate with the term “singer/songwriter.” First of all Duncan has a voice that has become a staple amongst male singers. It is masculine, deep and dreamy but the same time feels hushed and intimate. It’s a style that John Mayer made ubiquitous and it still remains quite prevalent. Additionally an acoustic guitar holds down the focal center of the music although Duncan does incorporate a number of other elements into some of his music. Although Duncan’s style at the moment isn’t particularly defined and fits into a certain expected mold he delivers three well-written songs.

The highlight for me was the first track “Frost Is Gonna Bite,” which contains warm, nostalgic, atmospheric music that can draw comparisons to Coldplay. His vocals fill up your speakers in a good way and give kudos to Adam Morgan who engineered the album. There’s no denying the vocals are catchy and helps focus the song. By the end of the song the main vocal melody was already stuck in my head. 

The second track “Hide Away” combines reverb-laced harmonies, an acoustic guitar into a spares yet spacious song. It is obvious at this point that Duncan does have a knack for delivering vocal melodies that are sing-along worthy. “Simple Math” sounds a lot like “Hide Away.” Drums were added this time around as well as a guitar solo but the songs are pretty much interchangeable. 

Duncan is a relatively new artist and still seems to be searching for the qualities that make him unique. He’s not there yet but he does some innate talent when it comes to songwriting. This is a case of wait and see.

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