The DIY ethos of music is still alive and well, as can be heard in Get Violet’s debut EP HERBARIUM PG.1-6. Recording these six tracks in their bedroom studio allows for a more impactful experience for the listener as they can truly connect with the message that the band is getting across.
Kicking off with ‘please don’t mind me’, it’s a track that immediately engages listeners with the groovy bass and drums and instantly gets them up and about. By fading the song out in the middle and then coming back in with the punchy guitars, it allows a subtle breather for both band and listener and helps to add a dynamic element to the song, producing a playful and energetic sound.
Later tracks such as ‘sun would shine’ and ‘ghost’ change the tone and create a come-down, sadder feel to the whole EP. They reflect on loving someone who isn’t there anymore and the pain and loneliness that comes with this. The broody guitars and distant vocals in ‘ghost’ make it a beautifully haunting song that stays with the listener long after it’s finished.
‘june solstice’ and ‘below the moon’ help to balance the sombre tone of the album whilst anchoring the desperation and pain that arrives from a breakup. The single and main focus of the EP ‘june solstice’ expertly uses lyricism such as “we’re all alive, we’re intertwined” and “I need your blood, I need your antidote,” and layers to demonstrate the desperation that arises with losing “the one”. The impressive vocals make for a pleasant listening experience and keep people coming back for more. ‘below the moon’’s jangly guitars and rawer vocals give an ethereal and euphoric vibe to the album. The drums anchor the song and provide a fresh listening experience which again keeps people wanting more.
‘fluorescence’ is the perfect closer to the EP. The fun and fresh sound leaves this simply fantastic debut EP on a happier note despite anchoring the theme of the breakup.
DIY isn’t dead as proven by the experimentation of sound in Get Violet’s debut EP. Even though it’s an EP reflecting on the loss of love, it presents this in a new and engaging way which firmly cements the band as ones to watch in the future!
Written by Madi Briggs
