Civalias - You.Me.We

Genre rock Publisher Authentik Artists External Links Civalias MySpace

For those that have yet to hear the acoustic melodies of Civalias, the latest EP provides a quality, though familiar, sound.  Civalias, which is the project of 23 year-old Adam Stidham, continues the push of musical influences from bands like Coldplay and Radiohead.  The new EP, entitled You.Me.We, contains a glimpse of the acoustic sound that Civalias can offer.

The album, overall, provides a driving, acoustically charged sound positively bolstered by the strategic use of piano melodies and other instruments.  Their sound will immediately remind the listener of bands like Coldplay, and want them searching for something fresh in this new artist.  Unfortunately, the lyrics generally fall short of providing that deviation.  Opening with the song, “Anything But You,” the listener quickly knows what they are in for.  Certain lines, like the chorus to “No Escape”, find the singer confessing, “When we run, we run in circles.” These sporadic moments show the potential for truly inspired lyrics in an EP that mostly covers the, “She left me alone,” lyrics.

While “Anything But You” seems like the EP attempting to package the single, the upbeat melodies of “We’ve Got Company” and “No Escape” more accurately depict the talent of the Civalias project.  When firing together, the group moves through a range of sound with distinct clarity and vision.  In contrast, the frustratingly slow end with the lullaby “Surprise, Surprise” attempts to burden the listener with an over-abundance of emotion, yet finds them slowly drifting toward sleep.

Overall, the latest Civalias EP You.Me.We is a good acoustic sound.  The opening songs provide another example of how acoustic guitar can meld in fresh ways with driving, offbeat melodies.  Fans of bands in the genre could be rewarded with their familiar sound, while others will search for those few moments in which Civalias set themselves apart.