Moving on swiftly from their debut LP Sara (released back in February of last year), ACAB Rocky are beginning to experiment with lighter, lo-fi productions on their latest EP Truce, with some stunning results.

Truce in comparison to Sara is distant, yet can still see Sara on the edge of the horizon. The influences of lo-fi and pop haven’t stunted the beauty found in ACAB Rocky’s emo-folk style. Most noticeably on the stunning Matches (which we had the honour of premièring), the emotion of ACAB’s earlier work is still prominent, while space has been made to allow the new experimental lo-fi sounds to sink into Matches, providing the perfect balance between heart sinking lyrics and upbeat, fuzzed up guitars, that dance with the joyous sound of electronica on this EP’s opening three minutes.

While following tracks Nursery and Jane provide ACAB’s most fluent guitar work yet, with a perfectly executed opening riff (on Nursery), the slower more thought out resilience of Sara remains prominent on these hazed out tracks (specifically Jane). Stella in comparison (the third track) falls similarly to Matches, with rhythms that are glazed with the light of the sun, dancing peacefully with the occasional slight sombre parts, which twist in between more mellow moments vocally and instrumentally.

The most intricate parts of Truce however, appear within the final two tracks, Backwoods and Don. With the combination of emo-folk, lo-fi, psychedelic and slight hints of indie pop; Backwoods’ falls gracefully in-between the plains of ACAB Rocky’s past and the future their heading towards. While the energy of Matches may not be as apparent within Backwoods (feeling more accustomed to the pace of Sara), the overall combination of slack riffs, scaling in a post-summer days haze, provides an alternate burst of energy, that springs from the cooler rhythms of Backwoods closing wall of sound.

On the following track Don, the jubilant life felt in Backwoods is completely countered, as the combination of Sam’s vocals and an acoustic are the only aspects to focus on, with this closing track. While Don doesn’t manage to reach the two minute mark, the emotions felt on both sides of the spectrum, brings another reminder to anyone listening, that ACAB have not forgotten their roots (even if it’s only their first release after Sara).

While Backwoods provides the energy of Truce, layered in light reverb, with psychedelic warps, fizzing in between the space in your head. It is indeed the closing track Don, that leaves Truce wrapped up in a cocoon of deep thought and impending gratitude in the final two minutes.

The greatest sign of growth for any band, is the acknowledgement of new styles upon an already practised approach. Providing vibrant and intriguing influences, upon ones regular motifs, is a concept that a large number of bands seem to forget almost immediately. Fortunately, Truce not only claims to stay true to the style of ACAB Rocky, but to be an acclamation for an iridescent piece, that shows a band who are progressing as they continue, rather than regurgitating past work.

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