One Wish The new EP from Snarls, called In Heaven There’s Rainbows, opens up soaked in a mysterious cloud of distorted vocals, hauntingly gorgeous melody undertones, and vibrant guitars from the Columbus, Ohio band. For a band that stormed onto the indie rock scene with a cheery sound on Burst, this latest EP’s first chorus on “Chemical Control (Spill Your Blood) basks in the darkness with the lyrics of, “If you spill your blood / You’re mine to keep (Never letting go) / I’m the chemical control / I’ll see you in your sleep / Pray you come to me.” It’s crystal clear that Snarls are not content with staying the same band as their debut, and they make remarkable leaps of faith that largely pay off in their favor on In Heaven There’s Rainbows. The world around the band is dark, and yet Snarls remain a beacon of light and hope in the indie rock realm.
After the mysterious opening of the record, Snarls settle into a great groove on “No Lock, No Prayer” that finds lead vocalist/guitarist Chlo White exploring the depths of her vocal range. Chlo delights with the second verse of, “Whisper in my ear / ‘Do you wanna get lucky with me baby?’ / Is this how we get a little closer? / I’m not trying to pry you open greatly, if that’s what you think / I just wanna know that I’m your instinct.” The bass-heavy song features some great, rolling bass guitar riffs from Riley Hall, while the newest member of the band, drummer Mike Taddeo adds in some pretty slick fills of his own to make his presence felt. As the lead single unfolds, Snarls continue to lean into a darker-tinged indie pop sound that finds the band aging gracefully.
The closest Snarls get to the bright and cheery version of themselves they displayed on Burst or With Love, comes on the third track of “One Wish” where the band ponder what awaits them when they leave their bodies. The chorus explodes with a dual-guitar delight from Mick Martinez and Chlo White before the band harmonize on the hook of, “If you light a match, you gotta let it burn (Watch your flame burn so bright) / If you wanna live, you oughta try to learn (Reflections in your eyes) / In heaven there’s rainbows / One wish, blow it, let it go.” It’s a pretty stunning turn of artistic development, and this band continues to impress.
”Eternal Flame” continues down the path of being a burning candle in the darkness as Chlo opens with, “Watch out, I’m pacing the room / Back and forth, I’m anxious / I’m craving again / Too damn complacent to change / Watch out, I’m anxious / I’m craving again,” with the back-half of the intro finding Chlo effortlessly going into an impressive higher vocal register. The song is comfortable bellowing in the darkness, before bleeding into the EP closer of “What’s Inside Of Me”, which sounds like a band heavily influenced by 90’s Alt Rock bands like Smashing Pumpkins with a modern twist closer to Wolf Alice and Snail Mail. The song leaves the listener with the thought of, “I don’t know why / They couldn’t see” when reflecting on their collective emotions as a unit. In Heaven There’s Rainbows offers a glimpse into the exciting directions that Snarls can and should explore on subsequent releases, and the future continues to look blindingly bright for this young band.