Oshawa rock duo Crown Lands released their Mantra EP last year, signalling a specialness among their bric-a-brac brethren in the clutter of contemporary rock. Still in their early 20s, guitarist Kevin Comeau and drummer/vocalist Cody J. R. Bowles boast a collective musical acumen far beyond their years, and their new EP, Rise Over Run, continues a deft navigation of the upstart moment they earned themselves with their first release.
The album kicks off with “Constant Motion”, a track resonating with power, precision, and cheekily referencing an 80s rock-ish guitar line in the middle eight. Radio favourite “Misery” is next, brimming with Bowles’ endless drum flurries complemented by Comeau’s crushing rhythms. Albeit slyly, all manner of classic influences can be heard on this record, including an oblique nod to skiffle in the breakdown of ethereal blues stomper “Big River Road”. Comeau’s frenetic slide guitar work shimmers with Zeppeliny gravitas on “Leatherman Blues” and “Mountain”, and Bowles’ swirling, rhapsodic vocal swagger elevates every track on this record.
With Rise Over Run and their previous release Mantra, Crown Lands have established their trajectory into more rarified air – they have the chops, the looks, and the wherewithal to become a very big act indeed. And their next record may well see them do that.