Despite the name not carrying any overt connotations, I had expected something vaguely post-rock from Fossil Collective, a band born out of the ashes of Vib Gyor who imploded on the brink of global success after chieving a top 40 position on the iTunes top 100 album chart. I was therefore unprepared for the ‘Honey Slides EP’, the debut release by the Leeds-based duo in their new guise, being a delicate, understated triptych of soft, folk-tinged indie that’s tastefully realised and carefully considered. Their sweetly delivered tunes that show a leaning toward the sounds of The Beach Boys and Neil Young, with a laid-back feel.
Acoustic guitar and piano feature prominently in support of the melodic, harmony-filled vocals on the lead track, ‘On & On’, which is supported by a particularly tidy promotional video courtesy of former iLiKETRAiNS man Ashley Dean. There’s very much a 60s feel to the track, and this drips off every corner of the recording, as well as the slow, bittersweet ‘Without a Fight’ and bleeds into the proggily-titled ‘When Frank Became an Orb’, a delicate, slow-building and slightly mournful tune that carries a considerable emotional weight.
It’s certainly a promising start, and it would be nice to think that this time around, they won’t collapse under pressure and call it a day just when things start to get interesting.
