E4444E - COLDSTREAM ROAD
Rosie shares her thoughts on the debut E4444e album, Coldstream Road, and lets you know whether she thinks you should listen or not.
E4444e (pronounced e4) is the solo project of an Australian 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist, Romy Church. Beginning in 2017, Church has self-released 3 EPs prior to his debut album, Coldstream Road which has been released with independent label, Spunk Records. Church creates a variety of soundscapes with layered melodies on top of ethereal vocals and acoustic guitar riffs, feeding in with horns, organs, synths, you name it. Coldstream Road is set to whisk you away into a tranquil, creative world of your own.
The first track, ‘Country’ begins with a repeating acoustic guitar riff and odd sound effects like a radio tuning into a channel, giving the track an almost vintage touch with dreamy vocals that take you back in time. Until you’re ploughed forward in time with futuristic synths making an appearance about halfway through. It reminds you of the silence that comes with floating around the Earth, giving you a chance to think about how insignificant you really are and being in awe that such thing as the universe exists.
‘Wind Nocturne’ is reminiscent of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ with so much going on throughout the track and complex melodies. The lyrics take a romantic turn, “He looks at her…. remember her” sang softly slowly, conflicting with the pace of the music. But somehow it works well together, adding a dramatic effect to the track and the build-up of emotion. Church has a way of throwing everything into the mix and turning it into a piece of soundscape art.
The album as a whole, mirrors some styles from the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club who also use various synths and softly sang vocals with romantic and utopian lyrics. E4444e would be the perfect opening act for them on tour. What’s interesting about this album, is that it pushes the boundaries of what a solo artist can do with layers and multiple instruments and shows off so much talent. Every track is unique and well thought out with a clear, original idea.
Coldstream Road ends with ‘Street Sound’, the softest and quietest of all of the tracks with only a few strums of an acoustic guitar and vocals you can just about hear, encouraging you to listen carefully and unwind. Bongo drums and louder guitar strums then come in towards the end as an uplifting farewell to round off the album, with a few underwater sounding synths at the end, as if a spaceship had just taken off to fly back home.
The album is an interesting hybrid of styles, sounds crossing themes such as nature, space and love. Church really pushes the creative boundaries of a solo artist to show that everything you thought you knew about electroacoustic music, should now be forgotten. E4444e is an exciting project that belongs on stage as an opening act, particularly at festivals like Glastonbury and possibly a stage at Boomtown, Church would definitely draw in a large crowd.
Rosie Chalk
★★★☆☆