There’s a gap for the kind of atmospheric rock that has been the staple of the likes of Interpol and Editors on the Irish scene, with a number of bands all stating their case as to why they should be the ones to break from the pack. Dublin based quartet Almost Ghosts look set to step into this breach with their brooding dark rock début which cleverly marries itself to the pop hooks of White Lies and math rock of Foals.

Rather than staying along the same subtle repetition of riffs from chorus to verse that Interpol rely on, Almost Ghosts bring in greater dynamics, moving from dense atmospherics to head-bopping dance rhythms with a dollop of a math rock extended instrumentals.  This is what you get on the opening song Drink It Up, as it begins with a guitar intro that would sit at home on Interpol’s ‘Antics’ before becoming something much greater. Past And Present mixes the formula up from Drink It Up, but in no less exhilarating fashion. Brimming with brooding vocals, as it builds it displays more urgency than a man with diarrhoea looking for the toilet.

The final morsel of the EP is Lamb where the additional flourishes of keys show there is more than a one dimension to Almost Ghosts song writing. It’s a more studied song, the ying to the Past And Present’s yang with more emphasis on electronic elements. However with its jerky stop start nature, it just doesn’t grasp as immediately as the other two tracks. It’s not a bad track but the lack of a truly memorable melody hampers it, especially considering just how brilliant the other two songs are.

There is no ‘almost’, ‘maybe’ or ‘could have been’ about this EP from Almost Ghosts. It has the effect that hits you, when you reach the end of an episode of Breaking Bad- it leaves you tantalisingly wanting more.

You can download the EP for free here