The Occupants: Hindsight EP

Remember the ‘90s? And the awesome prog-rock sounds that were blasted from the radio, cementing our childhood memories around the genre? Well I certainly do, and The Occupants have created a major case of déjà vu to those double-denim clad years.
‘Hindsight’ is one of those songs where as soon as you hear it, everything else you were doing at that point becomes irrelevant. It’s slow building, and utterly mesmerising once it reaches the climax – both signs of a good and true to form progressive rock tune. There are so many layers of instruments that it’s hard to pick the standouts, though at the peak the drums help create an intensity to the song. Then there’s the guitar riff at the start: simply no words for that one. The original track comes in at over nine minutes, but this five minute version is just as mind-blowing.
While ‘Hindsight’ might be the hit single from the release, there’s still reason to love the three tracks that follow. ‘Streets’ gives off the sun-kissed beach vibe whilst maintaining their genre’s style. There’s a bit of irony in ‘Wonderland’ as they sing about how everything is converting to the digital world, ironic as their debut is only available as a physical copy.
Listening to Hindsight, it’s easy to forget that the EP is actually a debut release for the band. The quality is at an insanely high level, and has the perfect mix of complex riffs and atmospheric vocals. Though don’t be fooled as The Occupants have actually been formed from former COG members, a sign that there’s great things to come from the four-piece.
By Amanda Sherring