EP Review: SPYRES – 'DEAR DIARY'
It's time to put on your eyeliner and your fishnet gloves and scream ‘Moooooom, you just don’t get it’ with this wonderful quadruple-threat of a band.
Scottish-Rockers SPYRES’ debut EP wrenches us ex-emo kids right back to 2015 with masterfully put together Dear Diary. Indeed, it is exactly this which the band seem to want to capture as they ‘were only 15/16’ when they started the band – a very impressive feat for young adults breaking into the music industry. They capture that feeling of growing up in such a difficult world with all the teenage-angst they can muster. Supporting the likes of Jesus and Mary Chain and huge Essex Alt-Rock superstars Nothing But Thieves, these kids of tomorrow offer something fresh and exciting in the world of rock with ‘Dear Diary’.
Band member Emily Downie describes the first track, "See Through You", as "a dark and angsty song which is very direct and punchy’, which rings true of this dissonant, volatile track with its scraping strings and Spyres’ powerful lyrics exploring the mass of emotions you feel after being blindsided by someone who has taken advantage of you. It fills the listener with a glorious smirk to hear ‘you made your bed, now lie in it’. These lyrics help proclaim to the world that the singer is one badass lady, not to be messed with and that message is hopefully one that will speak to many young girls who might be in controlling relationships, and perhaps inspire them to leave.
Following the strong opener, the EP’s second track, “Lost Without You” has equally punchy instrumentation, a catchy melody and the lyrics are fantastic example of the way Spyres can capture a crucial part of growing up in just a mere 3 minutes and 52 seconds which really resonates with anyone who has lost a friend because they’ve got into a relationship, which is all of us. The sparkling arpeggios on the opening guitar mixed with the fabulous overdriven rhythm guitar, the drum rolls and the driving bass, lock together this timeless masterpiece. The content of the lyrics is excellent – Spyres so perfectly encapsulate that feeling of being ‘lost without you’ with lines like, ‘when we talk, we talk about him, is there anything left in your mind?’, and another one that really hits home, ‘I don’t know who you’re becoming, I think I liked you better before’. It also serves as a reminder to anyone who is in a relationship like that, to be more than your partner, you need to a friend too. Delicate harmonies from Kiera McGuire along with Emily Downie’s powerful voice, this song is as moving as it is fantastically curated.
Central to this EP is the melancholy “Honestly”, which explores the downfall of a relationship as the lyrics navigate the stages of leading up to a breakup. Masterfully stepping through the verses surrounded by a light guitar riff, the compelling lyrics take us down the path of trying to hold on but coming to the heart-breaking realisation it's just not the same as they used to be. Progressing into a melodic guitar solo letting the lyrics ‘bound to fall, but time heals all’ linger in the air, this slower-paced tune rounds off in a fiery blame game of lyrics almost spat down the microphone as the relationship crumbles. Leading perfectly into “Test”, the penultimate fast-paced rock-bop shouts and shrieks and makes us want to hurl microwaves out of third-story windows with its pounding statement ‘get out the door!’. It’s brilliant.
Cutesy and campy, the final track off this EP feels like a more alt-pop Paramore-Riot-Era tune, but keeps in line with the adolescent angst fest this EP does so well. Together with co-producers Christopher Marshall, who has been certified platinum twice, and Johnny Madden of Baby Strange, Spyres manage, in “Hated You First”, to propel into the listeners’ ears the ever-present confusion of when you feel for someone, but they don’t feel the same back. Being ‘not what [you’re] looking for’ is such a real pain so many people suffer through, particularly growing up – ever had a crush on someone that didn’t like you back? Yeah, it's not great. The fantastic harmonies provided make this song feel like you’re floating, but those heavy drums bring you back to earth and its that in-between that is so cleverly embodied in this final track, rounding off the EP in a fantastic cyclical pattern of navigating relationships in your teens and early twenties.
This EP wrote a journal entry so fitful and fulfilling that anyone experiencing, or have experienced these emotions need but to scribble these lyrics down and the feelings will come flooding out.
Words by Mary Cooke
