EP Review: Children of the State - Tragic Carpet and the Magical Wasp Gang from Notre Dame

Introducing Children of the state’s new EP Tragic Carpet and the Magical Wasp Gang from Notre Dame which is a stark move away from their more energetic 2019 EP Gideon’s Bible.  Perhaps the Manchester band made the decision to reflect the current climate but, in this case, it was primarily unsuccessful. With a more sombre tone their sound was slowed down and flattened giving it less impact and resulting in an anti-climax.  

The first track ‘Hot Money’ doesn’t bring anything new or exciting to the music scene but that doesn’t mean that it is wholly bad. The lyrics are attention-grabbing but the melody is underdeveloped leaving it feeling more like background music rather than a title track.

The second track ‘On a clear day you can see forever’ does pick up the pace of the album but, like its predecessor, it feels undeveloped as though it was recorded in a rush.

‘Baby can you dig your man’ is much more positive with a cross between soft rock and roll and country. It feels more original and therefore is more exciting. The groups lack of experience is highlighted here with the absence of highs and lows, the addition of which would raise this track from a 7 to a 9.

The final track ends the EP in a whisper instead of a bang. ‘Give up the ghost’ is conceptually noteworthy but much too slow. It has some well-placed trills and pulsing notes that keep it appealing but there is undoubtedly room for improvement, as there is with the rest of the EP.