Cylvia - Cylvia

Cylvia

Cylvia
self-released; 2014

3.6 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton

This seven-piece orgy of alt-rock/pop Cylvia has the makings of being a sitcom the way they appear on their Bandcamp page. Each band member has a distinct look and flavor to their style and implied background. The only thing they all share – no teeth. Smiles weren’t in their wheelhouse for this one and it looks pretty badass if you ask me.  Of course, when so many musical minds merge into a single EP Cylvia, things are going to be diverse and engaging, at least hopefully. In Cylvia’s case, we have a winner. 

Don’t expect the guitar tone to change a whole lot, but we forgive that consistency on the basis that some things serve as sonic glue and when we have several elements happening at once within certain segments, that guitar binds in comfortable reference. As the album grows we get a deeper understand of the strength in their male / female tandem lead. Harmoniously on point and firm with projection, Zach and Lindsay bring to life special moments excellently portrayed in “Lie To Me,” which we’ll get to shortly.

Let’s start with “Love Ya” because, wow. Probably the biggest left turn of the album and just down right quirky. The reverb at the end with all the echo makes the repetitive title line sound borderline deranged. With that out of the way, every other track has a firm head on its shoulders in some way or another. “Cylvia” rocks around a pretty little guitar ditty, but by the end it’s blossomed into a big ole head banger meets love song. 

“Get Away” sounds a bit melodramatic and stylistically ambiguous. Having said that, the chorus is catchy and slamming giving it a proper dose of redemption. And so we come back to my standout track “Lie To Me.” It has a great build and message along with a capitalizing outro that hits home with background gang vocals. At this point, everything is on full cylinder and it’s a matter of when they feel like ending it. The guitar rips into a tasteful solo, the drums outline the punches, and all is right in the world. Cylvia is a different voice in a sea of LA imitation. Closing thoughts: crazy sexy cool.

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