Introspectre - A Thing Of Beauty (Acoustic EP)

Introspectre

A Thing Of Beauty (Acoustic EP)
self-released; 2017

3.5 out of 5

By Corrine Cassels

Introspectre is a band that was established in Kuwait but now is based in Orlando, Florida. Their name is taken from the title of a Depeche Mode song and consists of Basil Solomon on vocals and guitar and Tarek Kabbani on bongos. Their EP A Thing of Beauty  (Acoustic EP) is an acoustic version of songs already written by the band and deal with heavy issues like God, cultural oppression and of course, love.  Introspectre’s sound can be described as alternative rock with influences from bands like Radiohead and The Strokes.

​The first track “Away” starts with a pretty guitar intro that sounded so familiar to me but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. The vocals were a little hard to understand. I wasn’t sure if it was because they were too distorted or soft, but I found myself struggling to hear them. The song had a mellow vibe with vocal melodies that reminded me of bands like Radiohead and even Coldplay. The vocals became more focused towards the end of the track and I really enjoyed Solomon’s voice. It’s clear and pleasant and his falsetto works really well with the metaphysical feel of the arrangements.

The title track “A Thing of Beauty” had much clearer vocals and a unique melody. Again I was reminded of Radiohead. Solomon’s voice was very similar to Thom Yorke’s in that it’s used in a very strategic and deliberate way, feeding off of the instrumental melody in a very original way. I’m a big fan of a decent falsetto in acoustic tracks and this definitely didn’t disappoint. The following track “Plates” had more of an edge to it with a punk quality to the beat. It was probably my favorite track on the album because of its originality and full lush quality, even though it was an acoustic track.

The final track “There Will Be Another Place for You” was slow and sad with more articulate vocals and a soft, swaying melody. There were a couple off-key moments in the vocal performance but it just added to the overall raw quality of the song. The lyrics were complex and abstract and gave the impression of feeling trapped and out of place.

A Thing of Beauty (Acoustic EP) shows a lot of promise. Introspectre is a band with obvious songwriting talent but the acoustic version of the songs left me wanting. This kind of sound needs layers and dimensions and I think more instruments and accompaniments would have taken the tracks to a whole other level. Like the bands that have influenced Introspectre show, ambient songs need ambiance. These songs had more to give but definitely showcased the possibility the band possesses. I look forward to future work.

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