Monday 6 June 2016

EP REVIEW: Fifth Floor EP - Fifth Floor

Nashville, Tennessee may be the spiritual home of country music but the genre has a global appeal. Take Fifth Floor. Moa and Matilda both hail from Sweden and met each other whilst at university in the UK. Now, two years later, the duo release their first EP, Fifth Floor.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the duo have known each other for a lot longer than just a couple of years. The duo have an electric chemistry that fizzes through the energetic, yet sadly short, EP. The release is, for the most part, is fast paced...I have a feeling that these two put on a very, very energetic live show (and if they'd like to bring that show up to Scotland, this reviewer would be very grateful!)

1. You're Not in The Picture Anymore: For those listening to this opener without having heard Fifth Floor before, I think this song is a great introduction to the duo. It's upbeat and well-written, with the chorus cleverly built around the title of the song, a phrase that we've all heard before - as an English student, I particularly love the chorus for this reason. There's also a satisfying level of sass on the track as the song says goodbye to an ex in a defiant fashion.

2. Drink It Away: This is their first single and the first song they released. For those who read my review of this song a few weeks back, I think it was pretty clear that I adore this song. If it wasn't clear then, then let me be clear now - I ADORE this song! It's about forgetting your troubles through, well...you can guess from the title. This song is another one of defiance, about not letting things in the past drag you down. It's feel good and will stick around in your head long after you've finished listening to it. Yet, saying all that, it's not my favorite track on the EP...

3. Where The Credits Roll: ...THIS is my favorite song on the EP. As big a fan as I am of the duo's energy in the other three tracks, I love the more stripped back feel of this one. This ballad allows Moa and Matilda's voices to shine. Heartbreaking, yet beautiful, this song is about whether to let your head, rather than your heart, rule whether or not to end a relationship that you know is no good. The story in this song is fantastic, as is the musical depth of this duo. Truly fantastic.

4. Ghost Town; A feisty track with a real kick. It's rockier than the others. This track takes the listener on a very visual experience with the opening lyrics: 'Tyre tracks in the dirt, from where they stopped from where they served', painting a very vivid scene for the listener of what this eponymous ghost town they're trapped in, looks like. It's just some brilliant songwriting and storytelling.

Again, this EP is short but it most definitely is sweet. It's available to download from today and I personally recommend that you make the small yet definitely worthy investment of going and downloading it right now.


ABOUT FIFTH FLOOR

Fifth Floor is a Swedish singer/songwriter duo with modern pop, rock and country influences. After meeting at university in London, Moa and Matilda began writing songs together and eventually made the decision to form a duo in the summer of 2014.

Moa is originally from Helsingborg in the South-West of Sweden, 20 minutes across the sea from Denmark. She grew up playing and listening to rock music and studied music through her upper secondary school years before moving to London in 2012. Matilda grew up on the South-East island of Öland, in small town Färjestaden (funnily enough located 20 minutes across the sea from mainland Sweden). After listening to mostly pop in her early years, she later discovered her passion for country music. Having written songs since age 11, Matilda made the decision to move to London and pursue music in 2012.

The two first met online via Twitter after a quick search for future music university classmates lead Matilda to Moa, who had her audition in London that very day. After bonding over their mutual love of pop/rock band McFly they soon became friends. During a procrastination-prone exam week, Matilda encouraged Moa to watch ABC's Nashville and the Helsingborg native was soon converted into a country music fan. One year later, Fifth Floor was formed.

For more information and to stay up to date with the duo, follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook and check out their official site.