It’s big, it’s bold, it’s brave and it sounds damn good. Capturing a big electronic rock sound can often be a difficult and daunting task but with “Take You There”, the latest EP release from Version 5, all the key elements are present. It’s powerful, it’s chunky, it’s crunchy and has enough force to bounce out of huge speakers and lift the seats out of any stadium. It’s electronic but not rigid. It’s groovy and hook-laden and has huge potential.
Version 5 is made up of brothers Andy and Spencer Olson and to date they have recorded three singles with big name producer Jeff Blue (Macy Gray, Linkin Park), and on “Take You There” they offer their catchiest and most polished sounding recording to date. The three track EP is packed with punch and drive and is just enough music to leave your mouth watering and gasping for more of the same from the Minneapolis siblings.
Opening track, “Why Don’t You Drop” comes in like a huge explosion as the lyrics, “Why don’t you drop, why don’t you drop me? Why don’t you pull the pin and drop that bomb on me. Why won’t you stop me, why won’t you stop me” suggest. This song is the essential introduction to Version 5 for any new listeners as it displays just what they do best with their interesting and complex musicianship and big, electronic full atmospheric sounding choruses.
Track two, “Bury You” highlights their industrial rock sound with heavy overdriven guitar and screaming full of life vocals that offer energy and urgency. Track three, “Take You There” kicks in with a heavy and warm synth bass and a processed drum beat showing off Version 5’s effects experimentation and well-crafted production and introduces elements of EDM into the music while still maintaining their rock personality. The real hook on this track hits you at 2:08 minutes with the attention grapping bridge that calls out, “And I can’t let go, when we were so close, you know it just takes my breath away, and we’ll never fade, the end of the day, you know it just takes my breath, I’m waiting on you”.
Lyrically the band are dealing in darker elements and ideas which add to the overall emotion and feeling of the EP and their honest writing is thought-provoking, staying in your head for days. The production of the record is just right and it captures the force of Version 5 and enables the songs to be heard in the way they were intended, they leave an imprint on you and their power can be felt pumping in your chest. All the instrumentation and experimentation blend together beautifully creating a full and together sounding recording that feels complete and finished with a glossy factory sheen, bright and gleaming.
Version 5 know what works best for their sound and have the ability to capture it with their creative and enthralling songs. They are a band to keep your eye on and a band who will always push creative boundaries onto the next level.
YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/version5video
Review by Darragh O’Dea
