Bliss is being in the state of perfect happiness, and the new EP Bliss from A Will Away gives a feeling of being content knowing nothing really matters. The record is all about finding comfort in this feeling and it’s not subtle about it. From displaying “Finding comfort in the pointlessness of life” on its cover to the repetition of lyrics “It doesn’t matter. It never mattered” through the songs final tune, the album slings this theme around with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
Even if the record was a pristine white cover with no lyrics whatsoever, the message would still come through. The instrumentals are mesmerizingly comforting and as laid back as they need to be to give off that serene understanding. Each song swells and retreats harmoniously helping to truly accent some of the more thoughtful lyrics in the album. The vocals echo this as they change from calm and sweet to sandpaper rough seamlessly.
While the atmosphere the record provides is superb in itself, it’s not the only selling point for this short EP. The melodies are catchy and easily sung along to. Most of the songs contain beautiful harmonies and dreamlike interweaving guitar parts that shouldn’t but somehow work which are only further accented by some beautifully chosen chord changes and crafted percussion. Each song has the potential for one of those moments that you want to rewind and listen to immediately again.
The EP is still flawed; the vocal line at the beginning of “Ten Or Eleven” only exists to remind me of the beginning of The Lion King, taking me out of the feeling of the record entirely. Parts of the record straddle that line of good and bad cheesiness. The short length of the album also works in it’s favor as I found myself starting to get weary of the atmosphere the record provides right around where the record decided to end. Even still, all of this is easily forgotten and left aside because of how great of a feeling the music provides. A Will Away really did a great job withBliss and I cannot recommend taking a listen enough.
Tracklist:
1. Play Dead
2. My Sitter
3. Cheap Wine
4. Ten Or Eleven
5. Be Easy
RIYL: Misser, Transit
Rating:
More reviews by Josh Jurss
