Dapples - Digital Sands EP

Dapples​

Digital Sands EP
self-released;2016

​3.2 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Dapples aka Dan Walker is the sole force behind his recently release Digital Sands EP. There are three songs on this EP all of which are instrumental. At the end of the day there are some very interesting ideas, which will hopefully be more fleshed out with his future release.

The production is completely DIY and overall pretty impressive. He gets a good guitar sound and although the drums were plugins they did the job. That being said organic drums recorded with a mic still would have sounded better.

He starts off with “Eloquence” which is just under two minutes - I enjoyed the atmospheric, serene vibe. He finds a cool groove, which had endless possibilities but it never goes anywhere. This is a song that certainly has some potential to flesh out.

The next song “White Elephant” is a complete departure from the first. Walker utilizes a distorted guitar as his main weapon of choice and goes for a metal/hard rock vibe. The song felt a little less original than the first but there are some inspired moments and it did feel a bit more fleshed out. 

“Two Oceans (Epilogue)” continues with the distorted guitars and again has some inspired moments. Walker pulls off some decent lead work. 

The one thing I would encourage Walker to explore is finding an anchor in his song. Some of the time the songs just beg for a focal center that just isn't there. Vocals  commonly provide the main melody but don’t have to. If Walker can utilize a synth, a lead guitar or whatever really it would make the songs feel more substantial.

​Digital Sands EP builds a loose foundation for Walker but I think his best work lies in the future.

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