Shamona 'Just Like You'; EP Review

Just Like You is a record rooted in tradition, and in many ways stands out for it. While most current rock ‘n’ roll has taken an indie or psychedelic edge, Shamona are taking the direct route. Though you’d be pressed to find a boundary being pressed this is regardless a solid pop-rock EP, helped along by impeccable production and undeniably potent musicianship from the members themselves.

Opener ‘Rich Man’s Sake’ sets out a strong stall, led by a cool, temperate riff that slips into mid-tempo momentum. Vocally the track is faultless, Peter Riley’s style impassioned and direct, and approaching an earworm chorus it’s apparent that the group are assured in their accessible style. The Game Is Yours meanwhile sees the group exercise more individual flair, with subtle dash of organ, driving momentum and a joyous lead guitar-line cementing the track as the EP’s highlight.

The brighter Come and Go sees a distinct American influence in the enriching slide-guitar and has the makings of a live staple, its only flaw being its brevity. There is, however, the tricky question of the good old-fashioned ballad. For an unestablished group it’s a risky move to put such a song at second position, but the title track just about succeeds thanks to an emotive rush of guitars in the final third. Closing the EP is a ‘stripped’ version of the same song, and undeniably a challenge to a listener more dismissive of such saccharine emotion; a little Radio 2 perhaps, but well-written nonetheless.

Overall this is not a particularly fashionable record to make, but it is a very good one, and the promise it shows is remarkable. Should Shamona free themselves from the limits of a conventional approach and give breathing room to the idiosyncrasies hinted at across their early output, they could be a special band indeed.

To Listen To The EP Click Here

To Buy on iTunes Click Here

Patrick Clarke