EP REVIEW: Pixel Fix ‘Running Thin’

Rating:

Pixel Fix’s EP Running Thin is something to get excited about, for sure. The opening track, ‘Lungs’, is a breath of fresh air; it has fast paced, repetitive vocals – “little bit of time” – that perfectly combine with a dreamlike guitar melody in a manner that’s evocative of Little Comets. This is interesting, as the bands are from two disparate areas of the UK; Little Comets hailing from Newcastle whilst Pixel Fix come from Oxford. Second to this, the mellow, relaxed approach to the instrumentation is not dissimilar to JAWS’ ‘Think Too Much, Feel Too Little’ – a band from slap bang in the middle of the UK. Pixel Fix are a quartet who clearly know how to manipulate their instruments in a way that gives them a haunting power over the listener. They are similar to other indie artists but they also bring a unique sound to the mixing deck, it’s for that reason we think Running Thin is a vital addition to your iTunes library and summer playlists.

The second track, ‘Change This’, continues the sensation of excellent craftsmanship but, with a more distinctive vocal, is more evocative of artists such as M83. It’s a subtle blend of electronic components with genuine instrumental but it works incredibly well and is bound to have your head bopping along from the outset. It’s a distinctly summery melody that you can imagine blasting out as you lay atop a hill – it gifts the listener a sense of weightlessness and makes you feel like you’re not accountable to worldly troubles. This isn’t quite the stoner anthem that one would affiliate with The 1975 but there’s certainly a mellow, chilled quality to Pixel Fix’s sound that’s hard to contest.

‘Still’ is a more gentle melody that uses percussion to sound like horse hooves, giving the track a very rhythmic quality despite its absence of a rigidly defined melody. It’s haunting and, with the absence of vocals until very late on into the track, runs the risk of turning into a bit of a filler track. This is avoided, however, through the careful combination of the components that serve to demonstrate Pixel Fix’s understanding of substance. The track does what it says on the tin – makes you sit very still and feel very chilled out and mellow. Followed by ‘Overflow’, you can’t help but feel like Pixel Fix have taken you on a journey. Their music is the sort of thing you have an epiphany to. Making use of the same robotic-style harmonies, used in ‘M.o.n.e.y’ by The 1975, the band achieve a trippy effect that sounds like they’re distorting time itself. Wholly cohesive and incredibly easy to listen to, Running Thin is not thin at all – instead it is a substantial wedge of talent that makes us very excited for what more Pixel Fix can offer us.

Running Thin is released on 4th August (and on cassette too!)

Beth Kirkbride
@BettyKirkers

Beth Kirkbride
I'm Beth Kirkbride and I came out of the womb with a pen in my hand. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I'm currently studying for my A Levels [English Lit, English Language, History] with the aspiration of reading English Literature at Uni. Easily entertained, I like live music, the internet, eating and sleeping.
Beth Kirkbride

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