Bastette – Exposed
EP review by; The Dark Cookie
Of course, the thing that stands out on every song on this EP from Bastette is the outstanding vocals from the driving force that is Caroline Kenyon. I suppose that is to be expected, the young lady has a massive, expressive, self-assured, powerful voice, but one with a soul and a venerability so it doesn’t just become a weapon, it is a thing of beauty.
Formed in 2019 and hailing from Blackburn, it is hard not to draw comparisons to the likes of Lzzy Hale or Taylor Momsen and their bands Halestorm and The Pretty Reckless respectively, Bastette are playing in the same end of the rock and roll pool, and are doing a job of keeping their heads above water. Yes, they wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for the considerable talents of Caroline, but if the rest of the band and her songs were not up to job, they would not be keeping their heads so far above the water.
Opening track, “Stand Back” is a classy statement of intent, a fast-paced song which still has space to build. The music is subdued when it needs to be, and raising to support the superb vocals when it has to.
Unfortunately, I missed seeing Bastette recently at Sheffield’s Rockin' The Bowl, where they got proceedings going, as I was still working in the car park at the time, but we could hear them clearly and “Talk About It” soared. Live, it is a powerful song, and actually that strength makes it stand out on the EP too. It’s hook laden delivery, is almost at odds with the message it delivers, but damn! It is a fine song.
“Sick and Twisted” lives up to its title. It is both riff-tastic and sexy as all heck at the same time, a catchy poppier tune. Whereas “Rollercoaster” is more restrained, a builder of a track, similar I suppose to “Stand Back”, but it doesn’t mean it is the same. A modern, brooding song, expertly delivered.
Leaving us with “Poison”. It feels weird calling a song just over 4 minutes the long song, but compared to the pop song sensibilities of the other 4 tunes, all coming in at the 3 minutes (give or take) perfect pop song length. Don’t get me wrong these are exactly light-weight songs, but they are designed to get the job done without being bloated, it is still no exaggeration that the heaviest song is the longest, but is a slim and perfectly formed as lady herself.
Perhaps a little lighter weight than my usual tastes, but very engaging, and perhaps the only issue with the songs being quite short, means the whole thing is over too quick. Bodes well for a full-length album, where they could stretch their legs a bit stylistically add further layers to this, starting point.
4.5 out of 5
Musicians;
Caroline Kenyon - Vocals/Songwriter
Sam Newiss - Lead Guitar
Eoin Kelly - Rhythm Guitar
Paddy Duffy - Bass
Rob Hirst - Drums
Social Media Links;
Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/Bastette
You Tube; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Ga-1rrb8Jkhmf4R47fEYg
Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/bastetteuk/
Spotify; https://open.spotify.com/artist/7q3KtOxcEBxfetKNxzfoxQ
Track listing;
1. Stand Back
2. Talk About It
3. Sick & Twisted
4. Rollercoaster
5. Poison
