EEP - Death Of A Very Good Machine (2020)

At the age of 52, EEP vocalist Rosie Varela was told she was too old to start
a band. What do you think she did? She started a band and wrote a song called
'Outlast You'. EEP is the name of her shoegaze project with Ross Ingram, who
owns Brainville Studios in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Sebastian Estrada plays
bass and synth, and he also helped Ingram with engineering as did Varela.
Serge Carrasco plays guitar and Lawrence Brown III plays drums. The music
they play is vital, powerful and urgent.
*
Bursting out of El Paso, Texas come Eep with their debut album, Death of a
Very Good Machine. This is a band with a story to tell, a message for the
listener. One which repeats throughout this album. A message born from the
life experience of founding member Rosie Varela. Quite simply, that message
is, don't give up. Ever!

The album opens with the majestic lead single "Hogar", Spanish for 'home'.
This is a love song to Rosie's husband Justin, and you can feel the love that
has been poured into every second of this track. The song is punctuated with
some exceptional drumming from Lawrence Brown which rises and falls with the
dynamic production. Rosie's angelic voice floats above it all, reminding me
of Liz Fraser in her prime.

After that pacy start we take it down a gear for the brooding "Canal". There
is an almost volcanic feel to this song. Like something roiling beneath the
surface, just waiting to erupt. The vocal interplay between Rosie and Serge
is magical and at times reminds me of early Sigur Ros. The call and response
is really eerie and beautiful at the same time.

After a short segue we emerge into the title track, pulsing and fully formed.
The circular vocals from Rosie, Ross Ingram and Sebastian Estrada are
wonderfully disorienting, leaving the listener giddy by the time the song
peaks and sputters out on a flourish of static and feedback.

There's no time to waste as we launch headlong into the swaggering grace of
"When It Was Over". I love how the guitars weave together forming a sonic sea
that the song sails effortlessly over. There's something infinitely
comforting about this song. I defy anyone not to feel immediately soothed and
relaxed after listening to it.

Next up is the second single from the album, "Outlast You". This is a
storming out-and-out rock song bathed in reverb and fuzz-soaked guitar. A
song written as a retort after Rosie was told that she was too old to form a
band, this monster of a track blows that misconception out the water.
Everything is supersize here. The riffs are huge, drums pounding, vocals are
dominating. Rosie especially owns this song. I can see this being a live
favourite with the fans.

After the frenetic rush of the last track we relax into "Breathless". This is
where we see Eep playing to their real strength, working as a team. With
Serge Carrasco and Ross taking the call and response of what I'd call the
core vocals, Rosie brings her mellifluous and glacial vocal in on top. This
creates a wonderful structure to hang the song on. Add to the mix some
beautifully reverbed, chiming guitars and some world class drumming, and you
have a perfect song. This has become my album highlight after many listens.

The quality remains sky high as the ghostly intro to "Can't Keep Hurting"
appears. There's something about this track that will keep listeners'
interest for many many plays. Is it the exquisite guitar parts, clever bass
and drum interplay, the way the chorus just sneaks up on you? I just don't
know and I've listened to this track a lot. All I know is every time I play
it, I get lost in its many layers, and am always surprised when it segues
into the final track on the album.

"Closer" with its minimalist and charming production brings the albums to an
end in a perfect way. After the head-spinning complexity of the previous
tracks, the counter play between the grounded guitar line and Rosie's subdued
vocals really help us decompress and absorb all we have heard.

In Death of a Very Good Machine, Eep have given us all hope. A belief that
despite all the obstacles life puts in our way that the good will out. This
album deserves a place in your home, in your heart. If you let this music in
you will be rewarded hundredfold with each listen.
*
-= EEP Blends Shoegaze With Jazz, Psychedelia and Classic Rock Influences In
Debut Album "Death of a Very Good Machine" =-

Rosie Varela, founder of El PasoÆs newest shoegaze band EEP, talks about how
the band was formed and the fulfilment of her lifelong dream

For her entire life, Rosie Varela has been passionate about music. As a
child, she would sneak into the rooms of her two older brothers to play their
records when they were out of the house. When she was eight, she learned to
play the flute and went to pick up the oboe, drums, and finally guitar. At
age 30 she began writing her own songs and along the way she learned how to
record demos at home.

On Friday, July 24, all of her years of preparation and practice finally paid
off in a lifelong dream come true. She released ôDeath of a Very Good
Machineö by her new band EEP. This first album is described as ôeclectic
shoegaze.ö In addition to the traditional ethereal sounds of the genre, you
will also hear elements of blues, classic rock, `60s psychedelia, and jazz.

Rosie Varela, founder of El PasoÆs newest shoegaze band EEP, talks about how
the band was formed and the fulfilment of her lifelong dream. By Deborah
Sexton.

For her entire life, Rosie Varela has been passionate about music. As a
child, she would sneak into the rooms of her two older brothers to play their
records when they were out of the house. When she was eight, she learned to
play the flute and went to pick up the oboe, drums, and finally guitar. At
age 30 she began writing her own songs and along the way she learned how to
record demos at home.

On Friday, July 24, all of her years of preparation and practice finally paid
off in a lifelong dream come true. She released ôDeath of a Very Good
Machineö by her new band EEP. This first album is described as ôeclectic
shoegaze.ö In addition to the traditional ethereal sounds of the genre, you
will also hear elements of blues, classic rock, `60s psychedelia, and jazz.

The band, which is based in El Paso, Texas, where Varela and her husband
Justin Oser live, came about after she wrote a love song to him called
ôHogar.ö At his urging, the songwriter decided to approach a studio in nearby
Sunland Park, New Mexico.

When Ross Ingram, co-owner of Brainville Studio, heard the song, he was so
enthusiastic about recording it, he became the first member of VarelaÆs
emerging group. Over the next few months, Sebastian Estrada, the other
co-owner, joined on bass.

Serge Carrasco, who plays in El PasoÆs The Anhedonians, was persuaded to come
on board as a guitarist while also contributing vocals, lyrics and his
song-writing skills. And finally, Lawrence Brown III, a versatile, well-known
musician in a variety of local bands, joined EEP as their drummer.