Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Jeff Sahyoun (ex-guitarist of post-hardcore band letlive.) continues to prove his wide-ranged virtuosity with his new project Erase Theory. Following the self-titled debut EP released in early 2023, the band consolidates their innovative charm with their second EP The Good Kind (Icons Creating Evil Art).
With The Good Kind, Erase Theory presents an astute balance of rock and pop, combining crushing riffs and raw emotion with a smooth R&B flow and pulsating electronics. The EP shows a promising sense of musicianship in the band’s ability to seamlessly blend these styles in such a way that the contrasting elements serve one another, rather than compete for center stage.
This is evident from the start with opener “Taking A Beat”, as a throbbing guitar lets loose against a peculiar interlace of vocal snippets. Subtle glitching details are scattered throughout to give the melodies a texturized foundation of sound, evocative of the many perplexing emotions suggested by the lyrics.
This strategy only gets darker and drearier as the EP continues on. A trembling echo of computerized voices undertones the melancholic hooks of “Man Overboard” like a harmonizing heartbeat. Though the guitar is not as prominent for this one, the faint brewing tones it delivers from the backseat still manage to support the vocal lines just as effectively.
“So They Say” then brings the energy back up while maintaining the EP’s dark and shadowy feel. The anthemic chorus ends with the hard-hitting line “You gotta have a couple fucked days”, which reinforces its impact tenfold when it returns for the grating breakdown and outro. “The Subtitled” is more upbeat with its bouncing riffs and swaying melodies, all of which set up for a scraping, shredding solo.
The title track closes the EP, keeping listeners on their toes with abrupt left to right panning for the stormy guitar intro (use headphones for the full experience). The sudden drop from the racing, booming chorus into the following murky soundscape with Sahyoun shakily pleading “please” sums up the overall atmosphere of Erase Theory’s signature sound.
With The Good Kind, Erase Theory demonstrates a cleverly calculated amount of versatility to keep the listening journey dynamic, yet driven by an unwavering distinct blend of hard rock and alternative pop. If discovered by the right audiences, this could be a solid gateway EP to join together their respective music scenes.
Buy the EP here:
https://ffm.bio/erasetheory
8 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY