Over Sands’ self-titled EP creates simple soundscapes

by Susan Shelton

Over Sands is debuting their sound with a self-titled EP and it’s nothing too special. You get exactly what you hear with this one, so it’s lucky that what you hear is pretty good. The sounds composed come straight from the beach and you can hear it in all four tracks. It simply never enters the waters, and that is all right for casual listening. There is a lot of slow scenery in the EP and none of the terrifying moments that can be found in a lot of other contemporary dream pop bands.

There is something refreshing about how easy it is to listen to Over Sands’ EP. It was a smart choice of the duo to include vocals on every track so that the music doesn’t drift too far into trance, a place where it might be too boring. The vocals make it just engaging enough, more engaging than some collections that will be more highly regarded than this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdQa5ucaYsk

The oceanic elements of this EP tether it to surf rock in unassuming ways. Whether it means to or not, the EP sounds like the other low-fi beach music that is currently in the market: Best Coast, Wavves, and Surfer Blood. Again, there is a critical difference between Over Sands and other similar groups. Over Sands seems to fluctuate towards a pop party-on-the-pier sound while these other groups seem to drown in the sea. To some, this could come off as a safe route out of controversy for Over Sands and be a bit of a turn-off.

Over Sands is set to release their self-titled EP on November 20^th, and it is certainly a fun use of time for anyone who wants to listen to something not quite new.