lets set sail marblesDublin fouresome Let’s Set Sail have released their latest EP ‘Marbles’, a short snippet of what the band are capable of, and is bound to make their fans excited to hear more. The four track EP is a pretty good introduction to the band, showing their simple take on acoustic style folk/rock.

That being said, there are some positive aspects to it, Boats particularly shows off the skillfully carried out harmonies and beautiful guitar. Similarly, the guitar intro of Arrival is a perfect example of the musical talent shown throughout the EP, this song is also one that stands out in general. It’s incredibly well put together, a little bit more exciting than the other songs. It’s a bit more surprising, with interesting vocal over lapping and harmonies.

Lyrically, the EP leaves quite a lot to be desired. For example, in Marbles, the opening verse is as follows: “Ever since you were eight or nine years old, you could name every single capital city in the world, I’ve always been so impressed and proud of your intelligence and your talent …” although these lyrics are endearing and assuming they are written about a child or a loved one, ‘cute’, they’re not really that impressive or poetic. There is something to be said about simple lyrics that seem to tell a story but although this seems like the easy way of writing, it’s really not. There’s a fine line between simple yet beautiful and simple and bland, and it’s difficult to get it right. The song is quite a sweet song, but sometimes that’s not enough.

The EP is enjoyable, an easy listen, you might find yourself tapping your foot to it but by the end of it there’s a feeling that something is missing. It would be nice to see a bit more flair, a little bit more risk-taking, it’s a very ‘safe’ bunch of songs, enjoyable… but safe.  In some ways the simplicity is both a positive and a negative aspect, depending on the listener’s preferences. On the one hand, they don’t need any fancy additions or over-production, it’s simplicity emphasises the real and natural beauty of it. On the other hand, it gets slightly uninteresting after a few listens, and it fails to overly impress. The overall sentiment of the EP is strikingly optimistic, four love songs that are pretty easy to listen to,  unfortunately however, the word ‘nice’ comes to mind, although an enjoyable piece of work, the EP is just a little underwhelming.