Album Review: Pareto - Paint Them Silver EP

Last time we encountered Pareto, it was on the back of a very decent EP full of memorable melodies and subtle hooks that was difficult not affiliate with the Scottish rock scene Biffy Clyro opened up. Because the songs were, for the most part, worked around angular guitars and stop-start movement, it resulted in some major breathing space instrumentally and vocally. On 'Paint Them Silver', Pareto ever so slightly slant their direction.

'Miracle Of' immediately sets the tone: more atmospherics. While the song doesn't have the immediate qualities of their previous attempts, the work put into creating a more "whole" sound makes for a much more satisfying listen. The guitars are more driven than angular and the middle eight is an instrumental crescendo decorated with some mighty fine vocal harmonies. 'Paint Them Silver' is a cocktail of everything good about this band, the tone is less urgent but the instrumentals are more powerful than their previous effort. They allow a lot of space within the arrangements to allow the melodic hooks to work with best effect. The end of the song even showcases some heavier tendencies that certainly add an interesting flavour to the track.

Unfortunately, 'Feathers' and 'The Age Old Question' are somewhat lesser tracks that lack distinctive originality, or is it only that they fail to reach the heights of the other songs on the EP. Thankfully, they close with 'Collapse', a track that starts soft before gradually picking up before unleashing a wall of sound cum shout-it-to-the-sky lyrics. Pareto manage to mix all their best elements and create a song of epic proportions, something quite different from their more urgent material.

One thing is for sure, Pareto are making solid steps forward, and 'Paint Them Silver' is proof of that evolution that has seen them improve in every aspect. This EP is instrumentally and vocally more interesting, and should hopefully represent the last stepping stone before a possible debut album. Not all tracks are of excellent quality, but it's a case of the good outweighing the bad.

4/5

'Paint Them Silver' by Pareto is released on April 18th.

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James Berclaz-Lewis