The debut EP, In Denial, Force A Smile, from Tired Eyes packs unmistakeable pain and honesty into 23 minutes. Every song speaking to those who have ever been brokenhearted or disillusioned by a past lover. The four-piece band from Brisbane, Queensland (AU) artfully touches on influences of the wide world of hard rock/post-hardcore as well as cinematic classical scoring and pop sounds.
The influence that tugs at my ear the most is the cinematic classical scoring and it can best be heard at the beginning of the last song on the album “LOVECVTS – Extended Version”. There’s the unmistakeable chugging of a train going down the tracks and the voice of a woman talking about a lover, she has this voice that resembles the regalness of Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffanys.” Throughout the song, piano chords are dished out in the background with a 1920’s jazzy flair. Though that influence can be vaguely picked up at times from bands such as Panic at the Disco, this song is a much more prominent example.
I find alot of sounds on this album to be quite unique. Yes the lyrics hit home, but the instrumentation is impeccable in regards to depicting the emotions that they are aiming to convey. It sounds like the band has been working together in a studio for years with how clean and smooth they sound. In my opinion, they do not sound like a new band. They obviously had a very clear vision of what sound they were going for and it is definitely aggressive and beautiful at the same time, they owned it!
Something surprising I found out about the band is the range of ages of the members. They range in age from 16- 27. Having an 11 year difference between the oldest and youngest members makes me question even more how they had such a clear vision about how they would so masterfully take elements from their influences. Regardless, the band has been known to play alongside names such as Awaken I Am, Vitals, We Set Signals, Heists and Lifeblood. The singles “A Place, A Space, A Symphony” (released on May 18) and “Outta Sight” (released June 15) have already had some spins on Aussie radio stations. If the band can continue to proudly display their identity and continue to bring out even more elements from their key influences, I have no doubts believing that they can increase their popularity globally. I look forward to hearing more from them.
The EP is available on Spotify and Apple Music today
Be sure to follow the band on social media: Facebook
Check out “Outta Sight” below:
