REVIEW. COLT --- YOU HOLD ON TO WHAT'S NOT REAL.

Colt rose like a phoenix as the renamed and revamped version of Living With Eating Disorders producing emotionally intense electronic music that showcased the extraordinary vocal talents of Andrea Kerr who balanced fragility and intensity to great effect.   Their first album, These Things Can't Hurt You Now So Throw Them In The Fire, gained some good reviews and the band were starting to gain a cult audience helped along by some amazing live performances.  Unfortunately, personnel changes meant the band underwent a prolonged break before returning with this EP.   It features 4 new songs and some remixes of those songs by Arlen Figgis and William Bennett that's released on their own label, Obvious Records.

The EP showcases the quieter, more reflective side of Colt (rather than the more guitar based emotional freakouts like Demon in the Wheels that featured on the album).  What always intrigues me about Colt is how such sparse electronic music and understated vocals can still create such a big sound --- it seems to surround you and stretch out before you like an Arctic landscape but it has a certain purity and cleanness to it never feels overwhelming.  I hope that Colt are able to play more live shows.  I saw them play in Newcastle in 2006 and was blown away by them, largely due to Andrea's charismatic stage performance.  Even though she was only playing the back room of a pub to less than 20 people she still gave an amazing performance of breathtaking intensity, screaming and sighing beautiful songs of madness and self destruction with a focus and self possession that left the audience reeling.  This EP is a subtle hint of what this band can deliver and acts as a window onto their strange and extraordinary world.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MAY 2008.