In a city overflowing with musicians, it might be hard for a solo artist to find a way to stand out, but with a name like Egg In The Sink Belfast’s Gowain McKenna seems to do just that. Describing his sound as alternative folk, I would say that this is more alternative and less folk, maybe even tinging on a more Northern Irish version of Brit Pop, much akin to bands such as the Echo Raptors who are reviving this style at the minute.
As a debut EP, The Moon Unit is a solid effort. Over the course of three tracks we hear poignant lyrics, decent musicality and the whole vibe is something that I could definitely enjoy after a few listens. However there seems to be an air of mystery which shrouds Egg In The Sink – from the very name to his sparse social media presence and his songs seem to mirror this in a way that I find hard to connect with at first. I’m not going to lie, I find the very name Egg In The Sink off-putting, but that’s besides the point.
Curry On The Carpet (Far Away) is a definite slow burner, it’s catchy, mellow and McKenna’s voice suits the laid-back feel perfectly. This is the most Bit-Pop-esque track and I think it’s my favourite of the three overall. In contrast to this, What is Fair in Love (is Fair in War) has a much more serious feel to it. This one has more of a story and the sound effects in the background help to carry that throughout the five minute long track – although it does sound a bit gimmicky at times. To finish the whole thing off, final track, Taste The Wine (Magic Pancake) helps to round the EP off nicely as it harks back to the mellow feeling at the start of EP when McKenna is at his best – with just his voice and a guitar.
As a whole, The Moon Unit has its strengths and weaknesses, as a first effort this is more than something to be proud of and with a stronger musical direction and a bit of experience, I think Egg In The Sink could definitely be one to watch on the singer songwriter scene in years to come.
https://soundcloud.com/gowainmckenna/sets/the-moon-unit
Follow Egg in the Sink on Facebook here, or listen to the full EP on Soundcloud here.
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