Experimental lullabies
'Outside Out' starts wonderfully with a warm, powerful series of catchy riffs; the kind of indie rock that features in nameless US teenage TV shows. The vocals kick in, introverted and melodic, so far so good. But that's the problem with this song; it doesn't go anywhere else, the chorus is a little understated and seems to limp in almost unnoticed. There is a surreal moment of overdriven guitars, which breaks the monotony, but then it's back to the pretty bland chorus line of "I'm on the outside looking out". I really liked the first minute, but the rest is fairly unexciting.
'Let Me Down' starts off with sultry, echoing percussion and a slow, hypnotic, lazy guitar intro. The vocals are soft and relaxing and the atmospheric backing lulls you into the experimental feel. 'If I Told You' has what both the previous songs seemed to lack; a real change in dynamics to capture the imagination, but it needs it at a heavy 6 and a half minutes long. I gather from the extended ending that Televise really like their wacky effects.
As a debut EP from London group Televise, it's unlikely to turn many heads; I'm not quite sure if it's arty and trying not to conform to any song-writing conventions, or if it just needs some polishing.