Distance is the great destroyer or the great galvaniser of relationships. By relationships I do mean all relationships, whether professional or personal. Somehow, Eric & Magill have been developing a career from being apart from each other, collaborating through the ones and zeroes that are the DNA of the Internet.

So, great distances overcome are one part of the quintessential sound of Eric & Magill. The other major feature of this band is a warm personality that has been percolating through the sounds the band has been creating  since All Those I know and Kick the Covers Vol. 1 .(review) Two Travelers, their newest (and free) EP, continues this tradition of dream pop, in 6 lovely tracks.

‘Tangled up in nets’ is the delightful, catchy drum-heavy opener, with Weber & Osterman‘s vocals being complemented perfectly by the ghostly voice of Heidi Spencer. ‘Take on too much’ is a much lighter affair, breezy and happy but still keeping that ever so slightly distant voice that could push it into shoegaze if there were some bass and overdriven guitars. So it’s more of a daydream than a proper night dream. ‘I feel your pain’ touches on the ground they covered so well in All those I know, a mixture of dream pop layers and folky platitudes. Indeed, it’s the otherworldly layers of manipulated sounds that always add that extra dimension to thi band.

‘Don’t worry’ is almost like a campfire singalong, it wouldn’t have been out of place in Decibully‘s swansong (sniff), so I guess it’s a bit of a tribute to their old comrades in arms. ‘Carried away’ is pretty much the must-listen track of this EP. It has the dream pop style in its pocket, with a few surprise elements chucked in to jolt you around. Kudos to Keith Stendler for those drum fills.

‘Super Oso (Same Starry Sky)’ is probably the most intimate moment that Eric & Magill offer with cupped hands. A short loveletter for a special one, an ocean away but still under the same sky. Will it be a happy ending or a starcrossed one? Your mileage may vary.

Eric & Magill are proof positive that the old adage of “where there’s a will, there’s a way”, as distance has not made a dent on their enthusiasm (and passion) for music. Kudos!

Words: Sam J. Valdés López

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