
Epic45 excel in taking inspiration from their environment and its history; always able to turn their knowledge, experience and feelings into music which is rich in atmosphere and nostalgia. Their latest source is the mysterious Drakelow underground complex in Worcestershire featuring a network of tunnels, remnants of the World War II years and even an abandoned BBC studio.
Fittingly, this EP is Ben Holton and Rob Glover's most experimental, eerie work to date. Initially, on the fragrant opener 'Spires Against Summer Sky', occasional collaborator July Skies seems the influence (he even wrote the press release) but from then on it's darkness all the way. Sometimes the instrumental work compares to Avrocar on the sinister 'Vanishing Britain' and 'Cold Evening Colours' but whereas that group's music seems beamed in from another planet, Epic45's form of tension is more grounded using woodland samples and noises inspired by these fragments of history. One such track, 'English Clock Systems', even resembles the early work of Eyeless In Gaza. As one would expect, 'Drakelow' is Epic45's least immediately accessable work to date but it is most definitely their most forward-thinking; as otherworldy as it is down to earth and growing in stature with each and every listen.