While not as widely acclaimed to as a full length, EP’s set the bar for emerging acts to demonstrate their brilliance on a smaller scale. So this year, Velvet has finalised the top 10 EP’s you needed to hear in 2014:

10. ArtClassSink – ILLA

Across this fifteen minute EP, the haze of vortex swirled guitars, layered in shoegaze and the prowess of Oxford’s leading forces, created the starting point for Oxford next, potential big indie band. Time To Go became the leading force on the ILLA EP, boasting rocket paced rhythms, filtered through post punk’s grit, while Some To Try For provided the prowess of an indie classic.

9. Spring King – Demons

If Manchester was by a beach, you’d imagine there’d be plenty more bands like Spring King. Portraying the sun of the west coast (UK of course), Spring King unlike most beach rock, are identifiable. Reverb is virtually nonexistent, so the nauseous affects of everything sounding the same is gone, as the lead single Better Man, rocks and yells with the energy of early Wavves, on top of high octane punk.

8. Twin Graves – Walk In Circles

The 80’s will never die, not at least with Twin Graves around. Their Walk In Circles release back from February had me thinking Duran Duran had joined up with Elizabeth Wolfgramm from The Jets. Instead it was two amazingly talented individuals from Blackpool, who brought four stunning tracks, ranging from the bouncing vice city beats of Brother, to the season finale closing track of Last Sunset.

7. Savaging Spires – We Should Be Dead Together

Believe it or not, this eleven track release is indeed an EP (as Savaging Spires said so themselves). From the opening title track to Fifty Percent Tape, WSBDT produces folk-pop that revitalises the soul, with harmonious configurations of string, brass and many more implementations that create a reality of complexity and creativity on this elongated folk release.

6. YOUTHCULT – YLA LOVE

The atmosphere of WU-LYF, with the beautiful touches of MONEY, YOUTHCULT struck gold with YLA LOVE. A contemporary performance on indie, tropical pop, lead single Bored and What Ever Works provided the grand presence of the Swedish groups first EP. (the ‘cleverly’ titled YOUTHCUNT) Piecing together scaling guitar riffs and thunderous drum crashes, YLA LOVE’s atmosphere contrasted between maelstroms and picture perfect conditions, beautifully.

5. Wolf Alice – Creature Songs

Back at the beginning of 2014, we placed Wolf Alice as the must band of 2014 and they didn’t disappoint (even without an LP). Creature Songs became the final blast before the bands long awaited LP (expected around Spring 2015). What Wolf Alice demonstrated on Creature Songs, was their inept ability to create classic, stadium sized, indie anthems, that were sung, yelled and howled, all across the UK’s festival circuit and beyond this year.

4. Broods – Broods

The first real taste we received of Broods came back in April, and even then the brother, sister duo had barely started their career. Influenced by the synth dramatics of fellow New Zealander Lorde, Broods inflections into high strung, dramatic, ‘brooding’, pop music created shockwaves all across the globe. Now with their debut LP Evergreen scoring a number one back home, Broods are beginning their conquest for pop world, domination.

3. Meg Myers – Make A Shadow

Never one to become complacent in the positioning of her style, Myers’ second EP, Make A Shadow welcomed back her destructive, yet equally delicate pop, rock. Opener Desire placed Myers as an equally distressed force, sexually and psychologically, while following track Go, saw the angst and riff heavy style of Tennessee from Myer’s first EP, Daughter In The Choir. On closer, The Morning After, Myer’s style turned her from a rock monster, to a broken singer songwriter, on level with Daughter.

https://soundcloud.com/meginthedark/sets/make-a-shadow-ep

2. Palace – Lost In The Night

If you read the review (linked in the title) then you will know how excited I was for Palace’s return on Lost In The Night. Paying homage to the Gods of blues and blues rock, the Londoners brought a revival to the Jack White only genre. On lead track Veins, blissfully sweet hooks partnered brooding vocals for occasional highs that set you off to heaven. On opposite track Bitter, Palace summoned up the life of rock and brimmed with energy, well constructed into stunning riffs and momentous  choruses.

1. Deadgroove – Cult Classic

While the EP may not be fully available, those who managed to snag a free copy from the band personally back in the Summer, will know the tremendous achievement that is Cult Classic. The ever growing genre of hip-rock is what Deadgroove have mastered on Cult Classic. From the beginning of The World to the end with The Chains, Cult Classic boasted, unrivalled, sharp edged lyrics, balancing on top of malicious bass hooks and guitar riffs assured that Cult Classic would live up to its title.