Important records are often born from trying times, and this EP could go down as one of the Maine underground's most compelling examples. It is certainly dramatic (in "Cauterize" alone we hear echoes of Unwound, Sigur Ros, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor), yet falls short of the climactic, glory-bound cinematica of Friday Night Lights-style post-rock. There might be a couple moments where Howard's impassioned delivery approaches the expressive emotional terrain histrionically staked out by Robert Smith, yet there's a fundamental difference: unlike the Cure or countless other contemporary rock bands, Awaas sublimates anguish into a collective experience. In fact it might actually be a personal record after all, but it's more effective, familiar, and ultimately better as a statement of human resilience.

AWAAS | self-titled EP released by Awaas | downloadable at awaas.bandcamp.com

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