Blis - Starting Fires In My Parents House (EP Review)

Soft Speak Records has a knack for working with some really good bands. The label has an ear for good bands. I was more than interested to hear the Blis. EP Starting Fires In My Parents House when they made the announcement.

Some may have gotten a little fatigued on the "emo revival" and are starting to think the cream of the crop has risen to the top and that it's starting to get a little too redundant. I know I've heard more than my share of bland bands beating the style like a dead horse lately...so I could easily relate with that sentiment. If you're feeling that way, just remember there are bands like Blis. It just takes one listen of this EP to easily remind you that bands with the "mid-western emo" sound can still come out and really show you just how impressive the sound can be when performed the right way. You know the twinkly guitar and what seems to be American Football, Braid, Mineral, etc... influences are definitely present on this, but the band has such flair and bravado on the four songs.

"Stationary Life" is such a smooth moving song and it catches you off guard and pumps you up. When the ending of the song kicks in to high gear with heavy instruments and hoarsely sung vocals it showcases this band's talent for writing and pacing. It's a really impressive song. "Savannah" has great vocals and the guitar riffs really stick out to me. The song easily has some of my favorite guitar work on the entire EP. It's probably my favorite song as well. If I had to recommend one song for someone to check out from the EP it would be “Savannah”. I've listened to the EP through multiple times and it's a song I instantly want to hit replay on.

This band is a step ahead of a lot of their peers. This EP shows such promise for the band and is four songs of super solid songwriting. It's well produced and well mixed; it feels fresh and energetic. The band creates an awesome vibe. The music, to me, feels both somber and heavy often at the same time. Starting Fires In My Parents House is a really good EP. I dig it a lot. The band come out strong from song one and stay impressive throughout the entire EP. They never let up in quality and it's a great, fun listening experience. I can see myself coming back to this a bunch. I'd recommend checking it out.