EP REVIEW
Artist – Emilio Pinchi
EP – Trying Man
Release date – 4th November 2015
Reviewer – Graham Holland
In the current climate when new music is more often than not digitally recorded and old recordings are digitally remixed before being re-released I’m reminded of John Peel’s famous quote on being told that CDs are better than vinyl because they don’t have any surface noise. “Life”, said Peel, “has surface noise”. My own vinyl collection has long since been retired and I, like the majority of music buyers, buy my new music as a digital download or occasionally on CD. However I can still appreciate recordings that spurn the hi-tec of a swanky recording studio and was therefore delighted when Emilio Pinchi’s Trying Man EP came my way.
Emilio Pinchi adopts a lo-fi, ‘surface noise’ approach to his latest release. Trying Man’s four songs were recorded over the course of an evening in Pinchi’s living room, and if you listen carefully to the opening bars of the first track Sober At The Party you can feel the resonance in the room. The creak of a chair (floorboard? dodgy knee?) adds to the authenticity and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d heard a cuppa being placed on the coffee table or an unwelcome knock on the front door. I think there must have been a window open during the recording of Weekend as the sound of passing traffic adds an extra layer of texture to the song.
The homespun feel to the recording is reflected in the delivery of the four songs, with instrumentation that feels natural, uncomplicated and never forced. Pinchi’s voice has a vulnerability to it that perfectly suits the songs, four tales from the point of view of a young adult, narrating the complexities of life and relationships.
With Trying Man Pinchi demonstrates a maturity to his songwriting that belies his years, with a real gift for telling a story in a song. Emilio Pinchi’s music has gained a great deal of critical acclaim in recent times, with BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson counting himself as a fan, and based on this release I can see why.
Trying Man is launched at the Lantern Theatre on Wednesday 4th November 2015 (details here) and will be available to buy from iTunes and Amazon
© 2015 Graham Holland – Liverpool Acoustic
Emilio Pinchi
facebook – facebook.com/emiliopinchi
twitter – twitter.com/EmilioPinchi
SoundCloud – soundcloud.com/EmilioPinchi
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EP Review: Emilio Pinchi – Trying Man