Release Date: February 7th, 2012
If you’ve ever gritted your teeth through a Twilight Saga movie soundtrack, you’d know what Egyptian Wrinkle sounds like. If Boy Friend’s semi-psychedelic sounds were more widely known, they’d have popped up at least twice by now, not just because Twilight has advanced to film number five already, but because this is what the desperate love story tends to surround itself with.
Egyptian Wrinkle’s style might not jive well with American audiences just because it is so slow and somber. The energy it brings forth is sleepy and still, absent and melancholy. This is exactly what some fans might be looking for, but also a lowly waste of time to others. Chances are, the latter half will claim the opinions of Boy Friend’s listeners.
After a dream-like intro dissipates, listeners are introduced to the content of the album with some heavy drum beats and waveringly harmonic vocals in “Rogue Wave I” which comes back around at the end of the album in “Rogue Wave II.” It was bold for the group to open and close the set with strict instrumentals, and well executed in the way that it sparks imagination in its start but hushes the narrative at the end of the album. This was a job well done.
The Texas girl-girl duo explains on their official Tumblr site that the album was recorded “in north Austin surrounded by dogs, bongos, and plenty of warm Texan vibes,” a combination that sounds ideal for a perfect debut. It’s a blessing for Boy Friend that their sound was mastered here in their first release. The only problem is that its wispy, smoky feeling that fans will see on the cover of the album was prominently featured in every full-length song.
Boy Friend has a habit of wallowing in a lower register for lengthy periods of time. Though the band finds a strength in melancholy wonders, they don’t account for the fact that a full set of hollowed-out melodies eventually sounds like a singular elongated drowsy jam. Though there is a fantastic frenzy in the band’s originality, something about Egyptian Wrinkle lacks charisma.
There are a few nice moments throughout Egyptian Wrinkle, when listeners get a break from the mess of sparseness. “Breathe” is only a minute long, but it’s a trance, just as “False Cross” offers the last lyrics of the album before closing into the final instrumental and offering fans a little more personality before signing out.
Though it’s nothing short of interesting, Egyptian Wrinkle can be dimly classified as a total snooze fest. If you’re itching to fall asleep to some tranquil tunes, Boy Friend has got the hookups for you. No tempo is sped up past “medium chill,” if we’re being completely honest. There’s no shame in simplicity and lo-fi tunes, but some moments are significantly underwhelming. To label it as boring would be rude, but let’s just say the stamp is tempting.
Boy Friend – Egyptian Wrinkle tracklist:
- “Rogue Waves I”
- “Bad Dreams”
- “Lovedropper”
- “In Case”
- “Lazy Hunter”
- “Egyptian Wrinkle”
- “Breathe”
- “The Lair”
- “False Cross”
- “Rogue Waves II”
