Review: Sick/Sea – Moral Compass (2012)

By Ryan G

Sick/Sea holds the ability to convey the vibe through their music that matches the imagery projected by their odd name. Admittedly, this could be me just making that projection out of subconsciously decided necessity, but whatever. So how exactly does this trio exude a deluge of aggression in an environment where this isn’t typical? Sick/Sea are an indie rock trio that leans on the heavy side of the spectrum. Think of them as a more angst-driven Eisley. Audrey Scott does at times sound like a dead ringer for the DuPree sisters, notably in “Master Splinter” but really in all five songs. The band is appearing at the time of this writing in the one of the showcases in the much hailed CMJ Festival. If you are unfamiliar, CMJ is a music festival that occupies dozens of venues all over New York City, showcasing up and coming artists. Think of it as the SXSW of the East Coast.

As aforementioned, the music is aggressive. Surprisingly so, actually. This isn’t to say that we are listening to somebody similar to Flyleaf or Lacuna Coil. Going by pure definition, the band is not hard rock at all. However, the way Audrey sings just conveys conflict, albeit in a beautifully compelling way. Note how the vocals soar almost immediately in “Parasite” for instance. No build-up to a climax. Sick/Sea has a message they want to convey to the listener in the song (and all the others too). The succinct nature of “Mermaid” seems to be sending a message of sorts as well, albeit one that might be left open to the listener to interpret. The record finally lets up a bit in “Blinked,” but the percussion is mixed loud enough that I kept expecting things to pick up, even though they never did. Interesting, but it works. Hopefully you have the opportunity to cross paths with this band in a live setting – I would be very interested to see how the mood of this EP translates to their live shows.

Score: 3.5/5

Sick/Sea: Facebook | Amazon

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