Fire Exit

Delhi based Fire Exit’s debut EP signs off an earnest attempt by the fusionistic sextet. The EP is held together strongly by Subadhra Kamath’s rich, syrupy vocals and is suffused with warm layers of the tabla’s deep, organic timbre. The six tracks on OkBye! work two contrasting attitudes on sound. ”˜Waiting For,’ ”˜Vacuum’ and ”˜Heroes’ embrace a plush acoustic yarn cradling robust riffs  while ”˜Poison Ivy’ and ”˜The Spark’  display a fervent alter ego, which employs a lot of noise with little ingenuity. The guitars plaster metal grit on songs like ”˜Poison Ivy’ but drop and bow out when Kamath’s vocals ride in. While these songs are suggestive of Fire Exit’s inspirations in the likes of Tool and Porcupine Tree, these influences are worn loosely and are only skin deep.  But the fiery mix ”“ intoning both the diabolical and divine ”“ on ”˜MML’ gets the sound muddle right, hinting the direction the band should take if it wishes to engage its proclivity for a heavier mould. The fairly popular ”˜MML’ is certainly a highlight on this EP, it’s the song that makes this outfit look sharp. But it’s songs like ”˜Vacuum’ and ”˜Heroes,’ sparkling clean-toned riffs leavened by the rhythmic bounce of the tabla, nicely cloaking Kamath’s angelic vox and weaving scintillating melodies. While the EP is well produced the words don’t betray any lyrical flow and strike a hackneyed note.

Key Tracks: ”˜MML’ and ”˜Vacuum’