EP Review: The Isolator EP

Debuting at #3 on the New Zealand Chart, Cairo Knife Fight’s The Isolator EP is finally out and Gaffaney (Nick, the man with the band) has done it again.

Done what exactly? I’ve been waiting for a 90’s style Renaissance of the Rock since… well, the nineties. As I get decades older by the day, I find myself more and more isolated by the music “the young people” are listening to. Finally, in Cairo Knife Fight I’ve found one of those releases that come only once in a long while that I can actually listen to without waving my walking stick at the stereo.

That isn’t saying this EP only appeals to aging bogans, like myself. The Isolator EP is a fusion of what’s cool now and hip back in the day; both a return to rock roots and a reinvention of the psychedelic scene. Listen to the titular track, The Isolator, and you’ll see what I mean. The heavy chug of the guitar with the squeak of synth over Hard Rock drumming. I’ve had this track on repeat since I got the album.

Also featured on the EP are the latest two singles, No Longer Silent and RezLord.

The newest single No Longer Silent is like a shimmering pool of reverb over a deep rock pit. There’s something in the vocals of this song that makes me think of Queens of the Stone Age, a certain tone in a pre-chorus. It’s what U2 would sound like if they didn’t suck.

If you’re a fan of the band, you may have already read my review of their first single RezLord. Although only half a minute longer than the single cut, the album version of RezLord is the better for the EP. Perhaps unnoticeable to some, those extra seconds of reverb and pulsation add an enhanced sense of ebb and flow.

I didn’t have the Cairo Knife Fight Summer tour (reviewed here) to punctuate my anticipation since the release of the RezLord single, The Isolator EP was worth the wait (but I still eagerly await a full-length).

If you’re into good New Zealand rock albums, like Shihad’s FVEY and Decortica’s 11811, then Cairo Knife Fight belongs in your collection. The Isolator EP is highly recommended by me, and is the best album I’ve heard this year.