EP Review: deep tan - 'creeping speedwells'

East London three-piece deep tan are rapidly gathering speed and attention with their sinister brand of post-punk. Predominantly made up of previous singles, their new EP creeping speedwells is a decent account of what the trio have in their heavily graffitied locker. 

I first heard deep tan when they opened for Lucia & The Best Boys pre-pandemic last year, but they’ve been getting notable airplay from BBC Radio 6 music and Amazing Radio to name a few for quite some time now with their frighteningly atmospheric and no holds barred sounds. 

There’s shades of The Amazing Snakeheads about opener ‘do you ever ascend’ with its slightly off centre but emphatic raw energy that keeps you on the edge of your seat and unsure of the destination for the duration of an enjoyable but somewhat uneasy journey. Vocals are something of an afterthought on this one but that simply adds to the feeling that the band are writing their own rules without conforming to a generic song writing rulebook. 

It’s the shortest track by some distance at under two minutes but that doesn’t stop ‘camelot’ feeling like the star attraction of the EP. The drums hold the fort which allows the others to go be a bit more adventurous. Driving but varied basslines and Bloc-Party-esque bipolar guitar lines dip and dive all over the place to give the song its attitude. 

Elsewhere ‘deepfake’ and ‘hollow scene’ lyrically have more to say but don’t feel quite as memorable. However, they both still play key roles to round off a varied, well-rounded and fine flowing debut EP from a band that will thrive when they can unleash these songs to a live audience again.

Words by Richard Cobb

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