The Network - EP1

The Network

EP1 
self-released; 2017

​3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Justus Rollins is a musician who had a number of musical projects going but the first one he got off the ground was The Network. He found a couple of additional members through Reddit and not much later released three songs simply entitled EP1.

The songs go by quickly and shows some potential. For the most part they play ambient alternative rock with a hint of funk. The production is around demo quality.

One thing I need to point out is the overuse of reverb. They cover almost everything in copious amounts of reverb which muddies up the mix. A lot of top mixing engineers will tell you that if you start pouring on reverb you can get into trouble fairly easily especially if you aren’t EQing the reverb itself.

A couple of songs could have at the very least backed off one element such as the vocals which could leave a little more space for the guitars. The other issue with production was timing. There were some issues here and there with the songs feeling like they weren’t quite lining up. Despite some issues on the production side the song were enjoyable and I thought the band has a number of inspired moments which made me take notice.

They open with “A Blind Eye” which combines a straight beat with a funky bass and guitar line. Alice Hayes carries the song despite the vocals being too much in the background. The breakdown section displays the band's dynamics. Up next is “Pure Energy” which hits more of a straight indie/alternative vibe with some post-punk flavor. The song gets a bit messy at times but also has some success as well. 

They close with “Our Heart (On Restless Nights)” which was the highlight. The instrumentation sounds a little better here and I enjoyed the experimental aspect as well as the descending piano. That being said the funky guitar sounded a bit out of place and too bright during the chorus. 

The Network was a band that formed in fall 2016 through Reddit and they released a three-song EP a couple months later. I wasn't expecting them to sound like Radiohead out of the gate. My point is that the band is in the embryonic stage of their development. There is a good amount of improvement that could be had but there was also a good amount of things that they got right. As of right now they fall into a case of wait and see. Keep your ears on them because their is a lot of talent and potential with this group.

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