Tasso – Gower
Los Angeles, CA
Produced by Cat Tasso
Engineered & mixed by Manny Nieto at Manny Nieto Studio
Mastered by Mark Chalecki at Little Red Book Mastering
Tasso’s debut EP, Gower, marks frontwoman Cat Tasso’s departure from her previous band, the May Fire. The Chilean guitarist and vocalist, now based in L.A., presents a polished rock EP with the assistance of studio engineer Manny Nieto, known for his work with the Breeders and Darker My Love. Teamed with drummer Franky Martinez, the duo effectively creates a large atmosphere of sound. The result is a collection of controlled freneticism, a display of raw and emotive rock anthems.
Gower opens with Tasso’s robust single, “Don’t Love Me (I Never Will).” Her conversational lyrics work well with the thrashing instrumentation, indicative of the track’s rebellious tone. The song’s steady, pounding rhythm appropriately mimics a beating heart as Tasso sings about a relationship where love is absent. On “Shine,” Tasso introduces vocal harmonies, adding an additional layer of depth from their previous track. Guitar and drums dance around one another in a form reminiscent of the White Stripes or Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It’s unapologetically rock – rough and ready. The passion and fury from the drums, in both Tasso’s recorded work and live performances, can be easily heard on this track. Martinez offers a hard-hitting quality that reverberates with a tight timbre. “Wish I Could Stay” offers a strikingly gentle transition from Tasso’s previous tracks. As the title suggests, the song fits the tone of a lullaby, a bittersweet and quiet conclusion to an otherwise ruckus night. The EP concludes with “Gloomy Days,” a track that exhibits both the volatility and slow shuffle of a stormy day. Solemn vocals sweep across syncopated beats in the verse, leading to a saturated and very harmonic chorus. It’s a haunting end to a heartfelt audio journey.
As a multi-textural expression of emotion, songs often become simplified and more conciseduring the developmental career of an artist. This is evident on Gower, as Tasso’s long experience rocking from clubs to stereos across multiple Americas has led her to create music as raw and chaotically refined as life itself. (self-released)
– Keane Li (more…)
