This Is She is an alternative rock band formed in 2011. Members include Alana Grace (vocals), Spencer Bastian (guitar), Christian Meadows (guitar) and Ryan Folden (drums). With soaring and emotive vocals, powerful yet distorted guitar work and textured percussion, this band’s sound got my attention in the first few seconds of this album. Nobody Is Ok is their first EP, and hopefully not their last. After listening to the six song track list countless times by now, I am utterly and completely hooked.
“Grow Up” is the first track and ramps up with what almost sounds like surfer rock but quickly morphs into an electronica and rock symphony of sound entwined with Grace’s vocals. The textured guitar and percussion lineup are tempered with the sheer epic nature of Grace’s voice. Very much the same way Amy Lee of Evanescence takes over whatever she is singing; Alana Grace opens her wings and awes us all with her majestic voice.
“Ghost” pierces your psyche from the first note uttered. Grace’s vocals stab into your brain like an icepick jarring you in the darkness. There is something there, deep in the shadows, watching. Her passionate vocals raise the hair on your neck, haunting you with her intensity. The percussion and guitar riffs in the background keep her grounded, but as with most of the pieces on this album, Grace’s voice takes you on a ride deep into the darkest recesses of the soul and you are more than happy to come along.
“Disobey” is a whip cracking song that brings you to darker places than you have ever been before. Take a walk down the hallway of your mind and see what is behind the closed door in front of you. Does it hide a forbidden delight? Turn the knob slowly and see. The pulsing beat of this song will carry you wherever you want it to go. A lover’s kiss or a hungry look from a stranger across the room. Do you dare to disobey?
Each and every song on this EP is worth listening to. From the haunting insane asylum of “Nobody Is Ok,” the electronica grit of “Misery,” to the gun toting cavalier “Brace Myself,” you will not want to miss even one. This band has a sound that will get your attention without even trying. If you enjoy bands like Evanescence and Elán, you will love This Is She.
Key Tracks- Grow Up, Ghost, Disobey
June 23, 2012
