Comparisons between The Doppler Shift and Muse have been made in the past. The influence that messrs Bellamy, Wolstenholme and Howard have on the Brighton-based quartet’s sound is undeniable, to the extent that – from a musical standpoint, at least – one might even mistake the former for the latter.

However, this is not a slight on the band’s efforts as recorded here on five track EP, ‘Hush House’ but merely an observation on some similar stylistic approaches that the bands share – the Jeff Buckley inspired emotive vocal style and the ambitious songwriting that sees both bands try to incorporate styles as disparate as hard rock, electronica and classical music.

Opening track Tell Tale Signs Of Giving Up, kicks off with an almost martial drum beat and menacing bass synths before frontman Joe Ross’ muffled falsetto comes to the fore, an effect that only adds to the dark vibe. The picture painted in the lyrics isn’t very pretty, either. (“They’ve gone and put something in the water / And it seems that we cannot get enough / We are the victims of our evolution …”). At almost five and a half minutes gets the EP off to a start of epic proportions, effectively setting the tone for the remainder.

The gloominess doesn’t end there. The piano-led title track makes use of classically informed arpeggiated chords, while the overmodulated bass tones make a return on High State Of Entropy, a more subdued, synth-based track. All the while, Ross does just enough to distinguish between his voice and Matt Bellamy’s. While he too sings in a higher register, his voice is deep so he comes across more soulful than operatic, at times more akin to Guy Garvey of Elbow fame than Bellamy. Also, he is more willing to allow the emotion to take over, his voice breaking into a scream at several points throughout the EP.

The latter half of the EP is somewhat let down by its derivativeness. While up to this point they had sounded more inspired by than in awe of their obvious heroes, Tread Lightly On Me borrows too heavily from the Muse formula: angular guitar riffs, spiralling basslines, pounding drums, soaring choruses. Meanwhile, closing track Day/Month/Year sounds almost like a rewrite of Radiohead’s Kid A closer Motion Picture Soundtrack, an organ led ballad; but with added minimal bass, subtle guitar harmonics and tribal drumming.

All in all, ‘Hush House’ is a well-rounded EP from the English rockers, who should be praised for their ambition rather than scorned for their occasional habit of borrowing a little bit too heavily from their forebearers. Grandiose, tense but melodic, this is a strong finish to what has been an impressive year for The Doppler Shift.