Essex rockers InMe return for a release that marks a sort of a stop-gap for the band. The Destinations EP was crowd-funded on Pledge Music as a smaller release to satisfy fans before the release of next year’s incredibly ambitious triple album. It also marks the first time the band have released anything independently which is a bold step forward for the band.
The EP follows the foundations the band laid on previous album The Pride which means these songs are built around interesting song structures which are punctuated by huge choruses. This also means that harsh vocals are still completely absent and Dave McPherson no longer uses strong language. It really feels like InMe have grown as people and are now completely focussed on making great songs with heaps of melody.
A nice surprise for fans of the band’s guitar work are three amazing solos in Anthemusa, Driftwood Figurines and Beached Whales. The band have dabbled in solos in the past but they’ve never sounded as accomplished as this. Their appearances on The Destinations EP are as important parts of the song structure and not just an excuse to show off which is so often the case with these things.
We have to return to Driftwood Figurines as it’s clearly the highlight of the EP. This is one of the best songs the band have written in recent years and it’ll sound familiar to fan’s of the band’s second album White Butterfly as it has more than an air of Faster the Chase to it. The song is built around a catchy guitar melody which makes way for a massive chorus that’ll hopefully be a permanent fixture in their live set.
It often feels like InMe have taken a retrospective look at White Butterfly in particular to help with the creation of these songs because you’ll often notice that The Destinations EP draws many parallels to it. All the songs showcase a more focussed, song-driven structure that means you’ll be singing the choruses way after the songs have finished.
InMe continue to be one of the UK’s most exciting rock bands and their long career is a testament to how great their song-writing is. It’s a shame The Destinations EP is only 4 tracks long because once it rolls to an end you’ll be gagging for more. Thanks to the band’s increased focus on using Pledge Music as a platform to release their music, it shouldn’t be too long until we get another release from the band but The Destinations EP is a solid release that’ll happily satisfy fans until then.
8/10
InMe’s The Destinations EP is out now through Pledge Music. You can download Pelorus Jack for free via this link.
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