Sometimes everything fits perfectly. Slow Soak plays songs that move too much to be considered shoegaze--and luxuriate in their surroundings a bit too much to be considered much of anything else. Five songs, and they're mostly fine.

Slow Soak Mostly Fine EP (self-released)

I'm working hard not to be glib here. These Basel-based boys (you have been by Basel recently, right?) have come together from a variety of other bands and thrown down this EP. There's a fine edge to the guitars within the mid-tempo hash, and the lyrics are mixed almost perfectly so as to pop out nicely.

I have no idea what the shelf life of this band (or any band right now, really) might be, and I don't know what these guys will sound like with more time under their belts. The sound is hardly distinctive, but each song has something that grabs the ears.

Perhaps this is just a collection of back-handed compliments masquerading as a review. I dunno. I'll just go with the fact that confident competence is seriously underrated. Slow Soak makes some fine noise. And I think I'll leave it at that.

Jon Worley