After unzipping the file that contained The Luna Laval’s A Good Fear EP and noticing that there were liner notes, a wave of excitement engulfed me. Starting off with “The Silent Song” provides a strong yet fluffy guitar melody and a complimentary drum beat that made the first number seem appealing. Then agonizing “ahs” follow in that were hard to stomach for the few seconds they were prevalent in the intro. Despite the first glimpse at what the vocals could’ve sounded like, Jakub Szczepaniak’s silky smooth voice completely turns the track around. Released last week, A Good Fear differs from their previous release, the Horoscopes EP, which was a bit deeper in sound and content. The follow-up to “The Silent Song,” “Ataraxia” has a darker and slightly cynical sound that helps it stand out among the other two pieces on the short EP. The slower, haunting number picks up and ends with a bang only to be brought down by the closing song, “Bittersweet.”
As A Good Fear starts to come to a close, “Bittersweet” drags down the mood and ends the release on a bland note. Monotone vocals drag on until the chorus, though it still doesn’t stand up to the previous song. The whiny finale only leaves the desire for another hit like “Ataraxia” to follow. Despite the minor setbacks, A Good Fear was an overall enjoyable release. If it was a bit longer, The Luna Laval may have had a much stronger collection going for them. Still, it’s hard to wonder what the New Jersey quartet will come out with next as their sound evolves.
In A Word: Decent
