Pulling together from a plethora of places has arrived the musically astute quintet GLASS HARBOUR with their spanking new five-track debut EP "Distance From Departure", which I found to have been aptly titled, because, keeping my "distance" from the music on this one is something I just couldn't do. This debut EP's opener "1642" presents you-from the start-with a very light and melodic riff, delivered expertly by lead guitarist Lewis Hamilton whom, along with his rhythm counterpart Andy Harrison, I have to give massive props to for writing, throughout the EP's entirety, such well corresponding riffs. It's total ear candy. Give yourselves a hi-five for that one lads!

Similar to this EP's opener "1642", the fourth track in "Until the Roof Comes Down" plays such impressionable guitar riffs, backed by heavy bass delivery and memorable drum patterns. Also similar to the opener, is the unfortunate presence of frontman Robert Bedford's aggressive vocal delivery. There are moments throughout "Until the Roof Comes Down" and "1642" that just don't deserve to be spoiled by Bedford's mid-ranged growls. Moments that sounds so positively pleasing and light, that they deserve just to be heard on their own, or perhaps to the carol of cleans. Singing a variation of cleans and mid-ranged growls must have been something that crossed Bedford's mind when it came to matching the passive/aggressive riffs his bandmates had written in these songs! I can't be the only person in the world who loves hearing vocal variation that meets the music half way; vocals which scream aggression, when it's necessary, double-packed with cleans which put you at ease in between. This is something I'd truly love to have heard. Only instead, we're presented with a constant stream of vocal stasis that neither veers nor variates. Now, recent press releases detail the band's music, to be best enjoyed by those who also enjoy groups such as THE GHOST INSIDE and ARCHITECHTS and rarely do we encounter anything but aggression with those guys. So while I can appreciate Bedford's burning desire to be heard and his obvious influence by those aforementioned groups, I also believe there's room for a bit of vocal refrainment at certain points during these tracks.

Tracks such as "One Day" and "Homegrounds" make an immediate impact and it's on tracks like these that I found Bedford's aggressive vocal approach, to have more fittingly found its place. We also get some prominent backing vocals from drummer Matt Green on "One Day", which go absolutely hand-in-hand with Bedford's, delivering a healthy reinforcement throughout. The final track on this EP titled "Black", has its heavy moments but also its tranquil ones. The song opens in a well-executed drum fill that introduces us to another beautiful lead riff by Hamilton who is soon joined by Harrison on rhythm and Daniel McIntosh, who delivers some prominent bass throughout. Like other songs from this EP, Bedford has his ups and downs with the music. Sometimes really impressing me with his significant vocal display, but at other points overstepping the boundaries and drowning out the music.

So for an incredibly raw vocal performance sang with untamed emotion, backed by consistent and memorable guitar riffs, you may want to keep an eye open for what these guys have to offer. GLASS HARBOUR'S debut EP, "Distance From Departure", releases Friday, October 16th.<