EP Review: Three From Above EP (Vagabond) by Three From Above - 15 March 2022

Those musical scamps collectively called Three From Above have decided to get their act together enough to start booking some live dates and to get out an EP. Here’s the EP and hopefully we’ll see therm at a gig soon!? Links to getting the EP are below.

Vagabond hits us with a straight riff before vocals line up with the drums and minimal guitar before the riff slams back in. Second time round it’s more insistent and leads to a sudden jump out pouring of raging guitar chords and full garage style chorus. Live these have always been a band capable of using space and knowing when to take the sound right down before banging it up again. A brief funky moment of guitar solo explodes into a bigger drum lead powerful chorus to the out.

Magic Monday starts with a real post punk Gang of Four funk-not funk feel to it. The bass leads on this until again another jump out chorus that really does fly. There’s more going on in any Three From Above song than you realise, lots of changes in tempo and sudden changes in style and this one has unobtrusive but cleverly crafted song writing all the way through.

It gets darker for Killer Inside. Eery guitar stabs and chimes float alongside the passionate singing which is in the voice of a serial killer. Less immediate than thew first two tracks but for me one thatI feel I’ll already be revisiting more as it has great depth musically. A blistering guitar solo segues into a multi vocal outro that creates as much tension as it releases.

At Sea continues in the deeper but less hook laden style and for me the band are stepping up a gear. Its dark, its 80s post punk influenced, there’s a funkiness going on and it - like all good music seems to have - has conviction in the delivery.

At Sea is similar to Vagabond in some ways but light years removed in others. The EP shows a band with a fine sense of musical craft and technical ability who are evolving, can and will change and know how to use their plentiful musical skills to best effect. Hopefully we’ll see them live again soon.