Kicking off D//E's End Of Year coverage with a list as important as the "Albums..." one, yet kinda snubbed by the major music websites, that don't seem to highlight the EPs lists much.
Like usual, forget all other lists; don't let "the man" fool you... These are the best EPs of 2015...
10. Urfaust: Apparitions
Netherlands' Urfaust approach to black metal is really unique, coming mainly through ambiance and ritualistic aesthetics. On their 2015 EP they didn't change much to their sound, but like they have always been, it is very emotional and otherwordly, most likely to appeal to fans of experimental music and open minded black metal enthusiasts.
9. The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die: Death To New Years
Connecticut's The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die had a good year in 2015, with their album, Harmlessness, being well received, as well as the Death To New Years EP that came right before. Forget about the “emo revival” mentions, because they simply don't do this band justice.
8. Power Glove: EPII
It may be that Power Glove's second EP was not as groundbreaking as their debut one, still its dynamic sound is an essential listen for any synthwave fan and good enough for us to include it among the best of the year.
7. A Pregnant Light: All Saints' Day
Damian Master, that guy behind the A Pregnant Light moniker, has been hyper-productive over the last few years, putting out a whole lot of material in EP releases and demos. In 2014 he released the very promising My Game Doesn’t Have A Name, his first full length and a year later All Saints' Day, maybe his most accomplished work to date.
6. Weyes Blood: Cardamom Times
Former Jackie-O Motherfucker member, Natalie Mering, has done it again, once more failing to disappoint, this time with an EP release of beautiful modern folk, picking up where she left off, from last year's excellent The Innocents album.
5. Mono / The Ocean: Transcendental
On the split release, Transcendental, the chemistry between Japan's Mono and German-based The Ocean is outstanding, with the bands contributing an 11-minute and a 13-minute long track respectively. The Ocean's track, The Quiet Observer, is a beast themed around the consciousness between life and death and it is based on Gaspard Noe's film, Enter The Void, while Mono's melancholic and powerful Death in Reverse is centered around the same subject. Transcendental is a beautiful release that leaves the listener desperate for more and hoping those two (apart from the joint tour they did in 2015) work together again soon.
4. Airs: Apart
Californian shoegazers, Airs, released their mesmerizing EP, Apart, right before summer, which was an amazing evolution of their sound, nicely working as a teaser for what we can expect from them in the near future. Dare think of Ride and MBV, cause this band is really good!
3. Carpenter Brut: EP III
CB's third EP concluded the trilogy on a really high note. Covering the exact same eighties-like dystopian nightmarish theme, EP III is probably the most accomplished Carpenter Brut release so far, featuring vocals for the first time, a move that makes CB's idiosyncratic synthwave possibly appealing to wider audiences.
2. Tropic Of Cancer: Stop Suffering
Tropic Of Cancer, now the solo project of Camella Lobo, returned to action this year with an excellent, haunting EP, comprised of three tracks themed around “disappointing yourself and others… burning your own house down… temporary feelings with permanent consequences”, as quoted by the artist herself. It's as impressive as any of the previous ToC material, therefore highly recommended.
1. King Woman: Doubt
Regarding EPs, it was clear from the moment it came out that Doubt would be our #1 with a bullet. King Woman's heaviest release so far is their first as a full band, a deep record about abuse, spirituality, religion and darkness, that earned comparisons to some of dark/heavy music's all stars. King Woman's future looks bright and promising and we simply can't wait for what they're going to put out next.
ZR