It's a little bit of a disservice to introduce you to Boston trio Creature from Dell Pond's "Exquisite Kingdom" right off the bat. It's the last track on their 5-song EP Go Exist and by the time you get to it, it feels well and truly earned both thematically and musically. For the most part, Go Exist is a boisterous affair - full of energetic rock pop and frontman Nolan Sullivan's theatrical hyped delivery. It's reminiscent of Conveyor if you obscured the tropics-recalling experimental pop lens through which most of their tunes seem to be filtered through.
While Go Exist isn't completely devoid of narrative substance, "Exquisite Kingdom" is the first/last moment on the album where it's allowed to exist completely on it's own merits. Featuring bassist Gordon Walters on vocals, it trades in clamor and affected vocals for a much smoother and cleaner delivery. Featuring indelible melodic flourishes between Walters' undulating vocals, it's perhaps the most readily accessible and the straight forward of the EP's 5 tracks. It's also the most outwardly beautiful as it revels more in pop conventions than the EP's rock ones. It's a whirling blend of both instrumental and tonal coloring which subsumes many of the EP's narrative themes in a less aggressive presentation.
Creature from Dell Pond may be a young band still finding their way and experimenting with their influences and interests but they've created something truly ear-catching and special in "Exquisite Kingdom" and here's hoping they can maintain that level of not only stellar songcraft but emotive depth. Only time will tell.
Creature from Dell Pond's debut EP Go Exist is out now. You can stream it in full via Bandcamp.
wow, very well written summary, Dante. nice work.
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