UK’s Basement have always played grunge and emo-influenced pop punk, in the vein of Sunny Day Real Estate and Nirvana. After two albums and two releases, the band suddenly called it quits. Reuniting after only 14 months might be a bit of a strange move, but maybe they needed this time to rethink what direction their music should go. To me, Further Sky marks a new beginning in the bands history, one that completes the transistion from a melodic hardcore/pop punk band to an alternative rock act with stadium potential. But don’t worry, while Basement will probably reach a bigger audience with this EP, Further Sky sounds as honest as all their earlier output.

Opener ‘Summer’s Colour’ directly reminds us about why we love Basement so much. Nice, simple and ‘light’ guitar playing, mixed with the great vocal output of singer Andrew Fisher and clear production. The song ends with some of the bands greatest riffing.

‘Jet’ might be the most catchy song Basement ever released. Think Sebadoh, Weezer and Seattle Grunge. The last minute of this track is amazing, when suddenly a breakdown kicks in with a melodic riff on top.

Putting a cover of Britpop legends Suede as last track on this release is an excellent move. Basement’s version of ‘Animal Nitrate’ stays pretty close to the original, but it manages to sound a bit more American (although both bands are from the UK). Suede (and especcialy their vocals), have been compared to David Bowie a lot, to me this cover has a very strong early-Green Day vibe. This isn’t a bad thing at al, because ‘Animal Nitrate’ still has that Basement ‘flavor’.

Basement sounds very American for a British band, and just as their peers of Balance and Composure and Title Fight, the sound get more mature and ‘grown-up’ as the members get older. If Basement decides to go on this way, they will probably be able to get much bigger than they ever thought.

Track list – Further Sky:

1. Summer’s Colour
2. Jet
3. Animal Nitrate

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Written by Niels Koster