‘Why are Sunday’s so depressing’? ponders the Strokes in their 2020 album ‘The New Abnormal’, normally I would be in agreement but this Sunday differed. On an unsuspecting Sunday, Overpass took over the Jacaranda to host an intimate signing of their just- released EP ‘Dependent’ to a crowd of mixed age, some looking questionably below the legal drinking age. Upon entry, the crowd are given a CD which covers the expense of a ticket.
A young couple no older than twenty linger personally close to me as I stand alone with only a notebook and pint of diet coke as company; perhaps they feel safe in my outsiderdom.
For a band that has toured with the likes of The Fratellis and have currently sold out five of their nine shows this coming spring {with tickets running low in their hometown Birmingham at the O2 — a capacity of just under 4000 people}, the venue was indeed intimate.
Classic indie-rock tunes from the early-2000s such as ‘Banquet’ by Bloc Party
and the Drums ‘Let’s go surfing’ sound subtly in the background, a sort of subliminal exposure to the sound that overpass employ. Presumably eager, the band arrive fifteen minutes before start time. A quartet of few words, they enter straight into their first track off the EP, ‘Be Good to Yourself’.
As opposed to the studio version, the drums take control of the song sonically slightly drowning out the riff of the guitar alongside vocals — though this may be an error of technician as this pattern carried through to some other singles. The lead singer Max performs a few platitudes of thanks to the crowd, mentioning that the next track – ‘Slow’ – is one of their personal favourites. The song speaks for itself – more melodic and nostalgia inducing and advertently slow.
‘Take it or Leave it’ follows and is the antithesis of what came before. One of my personal favourites and presumably a nod to the ending track off ‘Is this it’ by the Strokes – one of the many influences to the indie-rock quartet {though this is entirely my own theory and one I didn’t confirm with the band themselves}. In a similar fashion to their first track, the
live version strayed slightly in the opening with the drummer Jake giving an extended rendition of the studio intro imbuing the audience with additional zeal.
Halfway through my company of diet coke and the tracklist is finished — but overpass are not. A few more words of thanks and applauds further the band to perform two new songs titled ‘Sandman’ and ‘Union Station’. If there’s one thing overpass do well, it is adding a healthy amount of frisson into their intros and ‘Sandman’ was no exception. Despite their modesty, the band performed both unreleased tracks in communal harmony with each instrument accounted for and heard — maybe the technician got the memo.
‘Union Station’ focused on more instrumental features and continued with the sound they’ve established within this EP.
Then it’s final and the crowd dissipates upstairs for signing. I follow suit, curious as to when I can replicate the adrenaline of their additional songs into my psyche but their release date is as much a mystery to themselves as it is to me as according to bassist Indie — they are yet to be recorded. I suppose I’ll have to await their return to Liverpool in
May for Sound City for that feeling of frisson once more.
WORDS AND PHOTO CREDIT – EMILY WILLOW
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