“Iridescence” is the latest release by The Trusted, a Southend-on-Sea band that has always been synonymous with tastefully assembled and expertly performed music. It’s their first piece of work this year, arriving after “Self Destruct,” “Miracle Face,” and “The Lightning,” three excellent compositions released throughout 2024 that ended up on this marvelous extended play. Lyrically, The Trusted covers themes such as love, relationships, different sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, so it’s a highly relatable extended play that will immediately resonate with the broader auditorium. Sonically, The Trusted combines several different but complementary music genres to illustrate luxuriant sonic imagery that will instantly appeal to even the pickiest music enthusiasts. Perhaps indie comes to mind since the band incorporates some of the finest properties of indie rock and indie pop into their songs. However, you’ll notice how some other sonic ingredients taken from alternative, post-punk, new wave, and synth music found their way onto this marvelous material. Like in their previous works, they use all these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, decorations, and accentuations while simultaneously remaining loyal to the indie sound. Their music dominantly resonates with all those qualities of contemporary music yet there’s a subtle touch of eighties, nineties, and noughties sound, constructing the ambiance that evokes nostalgia. These experienced musicians handle all these approaches and styles with great care, so “Iridescence” will undoubtedly appeal to all indie rock fans and beyond.
From the onset, it becomes apparent that The Trusted invested heart and soul into this material. Each composition delivers a different ambiance yet together they create a cohesive whole worth repeating over and over again. This marvelous EP commences with “The Lightning,” a perfect contemporary pop-infused indie rock track that immediately showcases what you might expect from the remainder of the material. The vocal harmonies sound absolutely divine with all those marvelous lead and back vocals shining in the limelight. The soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, emotional, and powerful vocal performance elevates all those segments and instrumentations, commands attention, and guides the listening apparatus. The interplay between catchy guitar works and lush synths creates a backdrop that immensely supports vocal harmonies while the equally impressive rhythm section contributes power, heaviness, groove, and dynamics through intricate, vividly hearable basslines and excellent rhythmic patterns. This fine piece of sonic artistry continues with “Overdrive (Switch Off), another outstanding piece that pays homage to post-punk and new wave sound. You’ll stumble upon a comprehensive collection of catchy, memorable, engaging, reverby chord progressions and riffs, elevated with many incredible themes, melodies, and harmonies. The interplay between guitars plays a significant role here, as they construct an ambiance that immediately transports you to another realm. This style suits The Trusted so well, as they showcase how easily they can transform into a completely different band by exploring different approaches, techniques, and music genres.
The same goes with “Self Destruct.” It’s one of those anthemic compositions that carries only the finest properties of alternative rock music yet simultaneously carries so many fundamental elements of indie rock, a genre The Trusted mainly explores. However, these experienced musicians have their own ways of blending these styles altogether. Perhaps all those elements articulate together, but they certainly do not overwhelm each other. You’ll notice how all those cleverly assembled, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics propel this composition to an entirely new level while the equally impressive, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines rumble beneath the guitars, offering more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth. In the meantime, the fuzzy, generously distorted riffs contribute to the raw, abrasive, gritty ambiance. Also, it’s good to mention that profoundly melodic vocal harmonies act as a perfect contrast to the raw atmosphere. They give emotional depth and complexity to an already intricate track. The band calms things down with “Miracle Face,” a marvelous composition that carries some of the finest indie pop and indie rock elements. You’ll notice how wisely assembled guitars articulate together harmoniously throughout the entire track while the generous servings of reverb effect create that echoic, cave-a-like ambiance that immediately wraps around your listening apparatus and refuses to let go long after this song ends. The title track dives even deeper into the calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal sonic waters. You’ll hear how The Trusted incorporated many dream pop, shoegaze, and cinematic ambient elements, a collection of sonic ingredients that perfectly suits their indie rock direction. It’s a perfect closure of such incredible material, inviting you to spin this EP all over again.
“Iridescence” is a fascinating display of experience, knowledge, skills, and talent. The Trusted poured heart, soul, ideas, and musicianship into EP, resulting in a collection of songs that will appeal to both indie rock fans and those picky music enthusiasts looking for music that tackles all senses. Do not miss this masterpiece. “Iridescence” is available on all streaming platforms.
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