There are many ways a musician can tell their story. From rage-filled screams to heart-wrenching croons, music can give any message a clear punch when the lyrics take charge. When it’s up to the music to tell the whole story, though, it’s a different story and the absence of the clarity of the vocal track gives the instrumentals the opportunity to truly flex their muscles. This is what Melissa Grey, Robert Kirkbride & David Morneau’s “Always Becoming” EP sets out to do, with an opening track that does a great job of setting a mood.
The way the “Being” opens gives the listener a feeling akin to a sudden sunrise or a daybreak. An atmosphere of tranquility is immediately set up, with the busy strumming of the acoustic guitars leading you on the journey through the track. As the guitar leads the way, the other instrumentals each bring a unique element to the track and that grow and evolve in their sounds. The bass reaches deep to give any sonic impacts an extra punch, while allowing the guitars to freely strum to give the track its’ ethereal quality. The percussion also gives the track a noticeable robust feeling. While subtle at first, they become more prominent as the track progresses until it reaches the last leg of the track where they come into their own the march out with the rest of the track. These elements combine with dreamy synths to make “Being” a very engaging and contemplative listen that grows on you each time you hit “repeat.”
The closing track, “Becoming,” has a pulse that is instantly established with a smooth drum beat accompanied by a quick guitar. The bounce in the beat is the perfect pop behind the guitars to keep them airy like the synths. The bass hits deep while all the other instruments spend their time in the clouds. Every so often, the synth track dips down into that territory before either springing back up or getting lost within the depths of the track. The grooves of the bass in the second half of the track are catchy and give the track a nice dash of personality. Their fleeting nature makes them a unique treat that feels great to catch on repeat listens. “Becoming” finds itself being the end of a musical journey that feels emotional and magical. The outro of the track being an ethereal wind-down that can’t contain the sparking synths as they ascend high.
Always Becoming is a musical treat. The moods each track creates are distinctive, with each of them having their own dreamy qualities. The sunny, invigorating melodies of “Being” or “Becoming” contrast well with the mysterious and trippy synths of “Always” or treacherous and dark aesthetics of “Ever.” It makes listening to it all in sequence feel rewarding, with twists and turns that gives these instrumental tracks a cinematic quality. The result is the feeling of adventure and the sense that you’ve been to another world with the ascending qualities of the outro sequence of “Becoming” whisking you away before you know it. It makes “Always Becoming” a contemplative listen whose tracks may not find it onto your everyday playlist, but proves to be a refreshing musical journey worth revisiting if you have time to listen to it all.
Leave a Reply