Wax On Water Raise The Bar With New EP 'Ghouls & Fiends And In-Betweens'

Wax on Water are the fortuitous pairing of Camden alt rockers Maya Damaris and guitarist Steven Blessing (with Matt Chivers guesting on drums) who released their latest EP ‘Ghouls & Fiends and In-Betweens’ in October this year.

Ok so on the face of it this release was kind of brought out for Halloween but, in all honesty, it's an EP completely relevant for all times, occasions and years. ‘Ghouls & Fiends and In-Betweens’ is a step outside their recent previous releases: the 'Drips' EPs and the album 'The Drip' and feels very much like a focused maturation of the band as they move forward.

Opening track ‘Ghouls And Fiends’ has pleasing gothic vibes aplenty and allows Damaris to show off her vocal abilities across a strong chorus, clever lyrics and excellent production all round with Blessing’s guitars providing the cutaway grove to the synthy-driven horror sensibility. ‘Guanciale (Mark of The Vampire)’ which, indeed, has All Hallows Eve written all over it - is a much darker aural space but is expertly and playfully done with a spiky clever ‘reflective’ hook from the POV of the protagonist which makes this track really zing out. Next track ‘Deadbeat Guy’ is easily the most pop orientated and mainstream radio friendly, a big step away from the rest of the darkly infused EP but in fact the contrast between that and the other tracks really highlight the bands versatility. Madly catchy and tongue-in-cheek (remove the indie rock guitars and this could easily be a track covered by a Broadway star) this is an ear worm you don’t mind burrowing into your eardrum. Ballad ‘Part of Me’ is another kettle of fish entirely and is probably my favourite track on the EP: it is a wistfully beautiful, breathy synthy lament of a chorus showcasing once again the vocal qualities in frontwoman Damaris. Final track ‘More Than I’ is a much heavier rock track opening with Blessing’s guitar magic and Chivers pelting those drums throughout for all its worth: you can definitely sense the grunge influences in this track and will be an excellent track in a live setting, a definite crowd pleaser in its raw form.

Think of a nod to all the Hammer and Abacus horror films you have ever watched and imagine an abstract homage to them in music form but with clever, mature twists from a band who have the courage to experiment and be boldly playful whilst showcasing their abilities to the max. That pretty much sums up this EP. This feels (and sounds) like a very cool progression in the band's output and indeed raises the bar for the next album reportedly coming in 2023. Bring it on.

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