IS/IS | Vowel Movement

Is/Is is a tempest in a teacup. Their new two-song 7-inch, “Vowel Movements”, is a surge of drums, reverb and buzzsaw guitar swirling around the voice of lead singer Sarah Rose. The music is the typhoon, her vocals are the undertow. Like “This Happening EP”, the songs on the 7-inch are dark, tumultuous, dense, and grunged-out. The title track builds like a massive, slow-rolling tidal wave. The guitar on “Blackest Beat” is thick and swamp-like, trudging its way forward through subtle tempo changes. The music always feels like it’s building to crescendo, a mash of howling wind and ethereal dream rock. This is truly a band that is the sum of its parts. Drummer Mara Appel and bassist Sarah Nienaber know how to shake the hornet’s nest. They build the two songs into jarring discord, then into hushed moments and back again. Rose’s buried, echoed vocals slide serenely as honey, coating everything. It’s a tense but beautiful clashing of sensuousness, darkness, and acceleration. The music of Is/Is may spur you on to think of a number of different images. For me it’s like being locked in a passionate kiss with a lover as your car goes sailing off the cliff’s edge. Seriously. With a little push, this trio should be better known. They’d make a fine addition to any stage setup at a place like SXSW — (ahem) if any of you are reading. The band’s 7-inch is out now via Guilt-Ridden Pop. Read an archived Their Bated Breath post about Is/Is here. Also, listen to the band at their soundcloud page.  – David D. Robbins Jr.