Having come across this band only recently by chance, Silent Devices definitely seem to been a band that, unknowingly or not, slip beneath peoples radar like some kind of.. well.. silent device. Not because they are ashamed or unconfident about what they do, in my opinion, the reason for this is here lies a band that has 100% focus in creating music that represents their minds and hearts, sometimes at the expense of marketing, but when the music is as good as this it doesn’t seem to be a problem.

The latest 4 track EP from these Leicester stranglings is a slowly churning vortex of sound, light and colour creating soundscapes like no other. With hovering atmospheric sounds, Two Decades is a rich blend of delicate guitar riffs, synths and truly sincere vocals that define this band and in our opinion is some of their best work to date.

Title track Two Decades opens the EP beautifully and, to a Silent Device newbie, works as a perfect introduction the the band. The song sounds like an opener and would sound perfect played in a large venue to a wide-eyed crowd. It’s two minutes and twelve seconds of uninterrupted instrumental that permeates the space it’s in to the point where there is nothing else. Sounds like we’re overhyping it, but it really is that good. While writing this, someone has just walked in the room to enquire of the author of the music and to show love… he says hello.

Una is a similarly flowing sound but with a more commercially viable element to it. The vocals seem unstressed and not trying to be something other than what they are. Great line with “Life is strange/When our bodies are easy to destroy” shows that there is a slightly darker undercurrent to this track and EP that may not be clear on first listen. The drums are also noteworthy on Una, smattering the backdrop with a building repeating beat that takes the song up a notch at the end.

Penultimate track is Warm Blood and is a song that has a good future, I can see this being a radio friendly single release and also a crowd pleaser live. To hear it once is to feel like you have known it always and I imagine this factor will resonate with fans on the live circuit. This track is the standout piece from the guys and is a magnificent composition.

The EP ends with the six minute screamer that is Playing Fields which, after the warm up of the previous three, is a fitting end to Two Decades. Silent Devices really do cement themselves firmly in our hearts with this, a true shoe-gaze classic. A lot of reviews use the old line that a song sounds like “the world ending”, if this is the case, Two Decades sounds like the remaking of the new world.

Two Decades is available to buy here on iTunes. For more information on Silent Devices please visit www.myspace.com/silentdevices. The band are next due to perform at the Y Not Festival on 30th June.

Words by Jon Dodd
Editor of The Monograph, Jon Dodd is a designer by trade but a music lover and writer at heart. Along with Duncan Graham he is one of the founding members of the Monograph.
Read all articles by Jon Dodd