Review: Gatherer: "Postcards" EP (2012, self-released)

Genre: Post Hardcore

Location: NJ, USA

Band Website: Bandcamp 

Label: - (self-released)

I just want to throw it on the table, that I am not such a big fan of post hardcore. However, when records are THAT GOOD, I can't help but get in line and accept the fact that some post HC bands out there are really doing something great, and something new.

Gatherer belongs in this category of bands who are pushing the agenda and are making music that is truly great. This EP of theirs contains 4 songs, each one of them displaying its own personality and conveying a unique set of feelings. The overall atmosphere Gatherer creates is one of desolation, loneliness, even despair. But they manage to escape the melodramatic, sad bastard category that so many other bands inevitably fall into. And this is because Gatherer gives off an air of intelligence, intricacy and progression. All the songs are short, beautiful and straight to the point, in and out before you know it and leave you wanting more.

The production sound throughout this EP is very nice and clear, with mildly distorted guitars doing their discordant thing, while the bass fills all the gaps with a warm and rounded sound. Indeed, this is how to do stuff. By paying meticulous attention to their sound, Gatherer succeed to present their work without being lost in translation (i.e. a bad recording or a sound that belongs to a different style). The drumming is also very well placed, changing a lot of rhythms but mainly staying on the slow to mid tempo, with clever patterns sticking to that aforementioned post HC notion. Last but not least, the vocals have a lot of personality and speak directly to you, letting all bottled up feelings out (but without trying to much to sound like the problem child on behalf of the vocalist). Just straight out HC kids doing a different thing, that's all.

Summing up, it's a rare thing these days to put a record on and get the feeling that it ended to soon. This is when you want to stop whatever you're doing at the moment and play the record again. This is what I've been doing in this case, and I am very glad about it!