Wishes and Thieves’ second EP is a good example of four musicians playing off the strengths of each individual in the band. Their eclectic sound is held together by the straightforward vocals of Jolanda Porter. Her stylings fall somewhere between the grit of Adele and otherworldliness of Bjork.
The vocals and production give the Forest Fire EP a pop edge that is almost ripe for the mainstream, a positive thing in this case. The first two tracks, “Forest Fire” and “Let You In”, glow the brightest. They exude a cool indie vibe driven by a funky rhythm section that effectively resists the temptation to introduce too many electronic sounds. There are some great ideas here that could use more development, but nevertheless represents a boat load of promise, proving once again that rock isn’t dead, it’s just evolving.