SINKR Sedona EP

SINKR

Sedona EP

Self-Release (28/04/23)

Following on from their 2022 debut full-length A History Of Things To Come, Manchester’s alt-rock power-trio SINKR are back with the razor-sharp Sedona EP. 

Bursting into life on an up-stroked riff, A Place For You And Me captures an urgent energy, distilling feelings of longing, desire, and frustration into three minutes of fizzy perfection. The bass is bold and full, mixing with spritely drums to provide the foundation for yearning guitar melodies and an honest, soulful croon. The verses slash and the choruses burn, with a lovely switch of chord progression halfway through that leads into a tom-bothering change of dynamics before looping back on it’s hook.

Cut Deep is a sinister, scowling beast that lures you in with a bass-line straight outta the Kim Deal playbook and a sneering vocal delivery. It morphs into a radio-ready chorus full of wide-open chords and the catchy, titular lyrical refrain before flipping back to it’s taut verse. Muscular palm mutes enter the fray ahead of a wah-infused solo that bothers the upper frets before settling back to resolve itself with a victory lap of the chorus

SINKR switch the mood for Sedona, with a two-note guitar refrain and driving chords echoing the sounds of the 90s’ Midwest scene. It’s a whispered, bruised vocal that deals in regret and disappointment, with a wistful glance at the past. The song is dripping in melancholy; the vocal and guitars share an aching sentiment that is given hope by the rhythm section who provide a steady shoulder of support to cry upon. It’s powerful yet fragile stuff, ultimately drifting into the sunset as guitars give-up on themselves and drums disappear into a cavernous reverb.

The EP’s finale, Fiction, welcomes you with a skipping breakbeat and controlled feedback before the trademark thrust of bass shifts the song into action. Vocals are spat out of the verse whilst fuzzed-out guitars whir in the background. The chorus arrives with a splintered, tremolo’d guitar spinning left to right to produce a disorienting effect that compliments the anger in the vocal delivery. The atmosphere is punctuated by another guitar solo, but it’s only a brief respite as the band go all in for the finale.

The Sedona EP reminds me of my teenage years when I fell truly in love with music. It was a time spent seeking bands whose art was cut with honesty and passion. Though my teens ended decades ago, that sense of discovery didn’t. SINKR are a reminder of the purity that music can offer, of the journey… and how shared human emotion can be both comforting and life-affirming.