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Catchy climactic rhythms and hyperactive beats

After eighteen-months of flamboyant stage shows and constantly changing line-ups, 2004 finally saw Oxford four-piece The Evenings settle down into their current form. Now it's 2005 and the band are back with the new E.P, 'Louder in the Dark', which marks their first release with Brainlove Records.

There's a quivering, spectral quality to the explosive intro of opener, 'Fizzy Piss'. Sirens scream like banshees over hyperactive, hissing beats before breaking down into electronic bleeps and digital scratching, creating a sound that evokes all the frantic intensity of rush hour traffic as the track builds to its tense climax before crashing to a breathless halt.

'I Didn't Remember' comes as a surprise after the dizzying 'Fizzy Piss'; it keeps the hissing dance beats and tingling synthesised keyboards, but couples them with an utterly unexpected yet beautifully singable melody. With a more traditional song structure, and surprisingly emotive vocals, the track ends in grand style with the swirling backing vocals creating a huge, full sound.

'Paste' begins as a mixture of twinkly, organic sounds and digital beats, to evoke a more laid back vibe. But as the pace increases the heavy marching beats have all the ferocity of an approaching army, and with a sudden shift leaves you breathless and gasping before lapsing back into its chilled-out wailing. Finally, 'Chicken & King' brings the E.P to a close with another slightly eerie but equally intense track that switches between almost ethnic sounding atmospherics and hard-hitting military drumming.

If, like me, the words 'hip-hop', 'electronic' and 'techno' are enough to make you instantly begin tuning out, then you might assume that a band who profess a love of 'dreamy electronica' and 'glitching laptop beats' aren't for you – but give The Evenings a chance and their catchy, climactic rhythms just might get the better of you.