Following their brilliant self-titled album that came out only in April 2021, Birmani is back again to close the year with the 4th instalment in a series of killer EPs that started back in 2018. “EP4” consists of four songs recorded by the band itself at home towards the end of summer 2021. But this is something that you would have never guessed, as the overall production is excellent. The EP kicks in with the big riff of “Encore” and vocals that bring to mind early Alice in Chains (Facelift era). Midway however, the song takes an intelligent Mastodonesque turn, and if you thought that the opening riff sounded big, the closing riff is massive.
“Mer & Monde” brings the band back to its QOTSA roots, with a driving bass line and the distinct French vocals that made such a great impression on me on their previous album. As the title seems to be suggesting, “Un printemps (de temps perdu)” is a song about Spring and lost time. With a lethargic groove, it drags you in and takes you for a ride in the desert. The final song of the album, “Delabres”, waltzes through with a melody that pays equal doses of homage to QOTSA and to the heart-warming vocal harmonies of The Pixies.
In the end, there is a melancholic post-rock melody that will surely leave you with a bittersweet smile. EP4 is slightly under 26 minutes of music but when it finishes, you will feel a sense of completion and you are bound to want for more. I know I did. Much as with almost all of their previous work, this EP is an excellent piece of work that is highly recommended!
Words by Ioannis Valiakos
Desert Vulture 