Indie basement rockers The Photo Atlas borrow from the likes of At The Drive-In, Thursday, Tokyo Police Club and Bloc Party on their sophomore EP, To Silently Provoke The Ghost, blending angular guitars and jabbing drums with catchy pop-punk structures. Somehow, amongst all the identifiable influences, the band is still difficult to pin-down, impressively completing the EP with a sound to call distinctly their own.

Though the album's production is noticeably lo-fi, the instrumentals still play a prominent role within the album's gritty sound. The opening track, "Class of 2012," clashes winding guitar lines and swirling synthesizers with propulsive drums and tambourines, creating a dizzying array of sound as lead singer Alan Andrews' vocals gasp with emotional urgency. The electric guitar on the third song, "Jealous Teeth," holds the song's buoyant melody, a bitter contrast to the lyrics, "We all need someone to sink our jealous teeth into." The tempo to "Jealous..." capriciously fluctuates, as the band turns up the speed for their catchy chorus as the poppy gem sinks its teeth into the listener.

The songs also possess an emotional weight to them, like on "It's Always About The Money," which twists a lively punk-pop song structure into a melancholic outcry, as Andrews' straightforwardly laments, "It breaks my fucking heart." Capturing the sickening claustrophobia following a failed, youthful relationship, the song's concluding instrumentals are intensely jarring, as explosive guitar riffs and fiery handclaps burst through the song's chorus. There is also "Paper Trail," which wails over ominous instrumentals, sounding like a more composed Thursday during their earliest years.

The EP's final song, "You Haven't Read Enough," plays a sprawling guitar line over the group's moody vocals, ranging from conversational dialogue to shouted intensity. During the album's final moments, crashing cymbals add a percussive drive to the crescendoing instrumentals, as Andrews shouts repetitiously, "You keep looking backwards"-an ironic choice of words from a group whose music is rapidly progressing.

Tracklist For To Silently Provoke The Ghost:

01. Class of 2012
02. It's Always About The Money
03. Jealous Teeth
04. Paper Trail
05. You Haven't Read Enough

www.thephotoatlas.com

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