
Liquid Pennies’ EP ”A-Wake Ending” is a jigsaw of pieces made to fit in the wrong place on purpose. It’s this approach that helps the release stand out.
If you had to tell the story of your life in five minutes, you’d find yourself desperately looking for a narrative that could encapsulate all of your experiences. It should be impossible to find a suitable one. That seems to be what Liquid Pennies have come against as they work to translate their life out on the roads of the U.S. as well as their live shows, onto studio-recorded songs.





The opening track, “Discretion”, gives a good indication of the scope of this project. Yes, Liquid Pennies like to create an unsettling atmosphere to go along with their guitar-powered indie-rock. However, they’ve also understood the impact of disorienting sharp changes.
On “Discretion”, clobbering guitar leads give way to chant-like vocals before returning to the minimalist indie-rock sound that is the band’s bread and butter. It’s a risk, sure, but the band refuses to merely follow a straight line.
“The Current” is the most immediately pleasing song on this EP. Choppy guitar grooves are accompanied by falsetto vocals which all lead toward a murmured chorus. It could all be the kind of material destined for soundtracking National Geographic content were it not for the sequence of mini-solos found mid-song.
With “Vestibules,” the band takes a chance on surprising vocal melodies and atmospheric post-punk instrumentation. Liquid Pennies are searching for patient audiences waiting to be rewarded by the immersive qualities of their music.
All of these ambitious manoeuvres hint at paving the way for the final track, “In an Ebb.” With a running time of over 7 minutes, the composition allows them to spread their vision wide and showcase all that they’ve learned through their frequent touring. “In an Ebb” slides seamlessly through slow-paced post-rock repetitive guitar lines and into grunge, distorted passages.
”A-Wake Ending” is an attempt at creating a sound that is more than the sum of its parts. If Liquid Pennies are hoping for some kind of alchemy to occur, they are certainly putting in all of their efforts to ensure that this can happen.
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