Review Summary: ‘The Bitter Beginning’ is a very strong attempt at a debut EP and even though the albums cover is terribly boring, the music is anything but.
The first attempt at any project is a tough ask, with many chances to fail. It is especially hard to create your debut EP in the music industry and to be able to set yourself apart from all the bands before you. It takes a very special kind of band that draws ideas from their influences and uses it to excel in their own musical territory.
A local Perth outfit, ‘Dam Few’, have found a perfect balance in their music and have crafted a strong debut EP tiled ‘The Bitter Beginning’. The first track of the EP ‘Americide’ is the strongest song from the EP and gives listeners an ideal first impression of the band. ‘Americide’ takes time to build up and combines intelligent lyrics with soaring vocals. The song rebuilds itself through the second chorus only to be broken down again by a collection of audio clips during the bridge. The addition of these audio clips taken from various speakers throughout history, reflecting the effects of war, further pushes the point of what the song’s about –the futility of war. The next track ‘Break’ starts off energetic, before flowing into a section of catchy riffs. This song is nowhere near as accomplished as ‘Americide’ but does have an extremely well crafted guitar solo in the bridge. The bass guitar receives a good work out, thundering along the whole song while the use of clapping hands keeps the band’s unique little twists flowing. ‘Dining With the Jackals’ follows next and regains the catchiness the band displayed on the opener. This song is mostly upbeat and the ending shows off the band’s ability to be tight with their musicianship. The remaining songs of the EP run together a little, with the track ‘This Life’ being the highlight. It's the first song of the EP that gets straight into the singing and features excellent harmonies with layered vocals. The drumming that drives this track, keeps your feet tapping and helps make it the catchiest song out of the lot.
Overall the whole EP flows really well, but some tracks do sound alike and require a few spins in order to differentiate them from one another. ‘Dam Few’ are a very talented young band, whose tight musicianship and amazing vocals will help them hit the big time one day. The EP sounds raw, yet full of unique little surprises which keep the ears entertained. The strong ending of the EP makes the band’s future seem all the more hopeful and exciting. ‘The Bitter Beginning’ is a very strong attempt at a debut EP and even though the albums cover is terribly boring, the music is anything but.
