Penrose – Live For The Dream

The Last Mixed Tape reviews Live For The Dream, the debut extended play from Dublin based indie-rock outfit Penrose.

Starting off a clatter of studio atmospherics that leads straight into widescreen jangle of ‘See You Again’, there can be no doubt that Penrose’s debut E.P. is a stylised affair built from layered guitars, harmonies and background textures.

A promising start continues as the group’s Brit-pop inflected songwriter comes to fore in tracks like ‘Melody’, a song covered in the bouncing, upbeat vibrancy that indie-rock is capable of when in the right hands and Penrose do seem to be in complete control of this.

However, it is in the large-scale ambition of ‘Harmony’ that Penrose really stand-out from the crowd. With little held back the group reach for the opulent production and hi-fi scope of the Brit-pop era with confidence, big dramatic strings, catchy choruses and scene stealing guitar solo all merge together to deliver a full-on indie-rock anthem.

Penrose clearly have love and understanding for their influences. Whether it be the full anthemic Oasis styled indie of ‘Harmony’ or jangle of ‘See You Again’ Penrose recreate it with passion, this is undeniable. While Live For The Dream is not a dramatic re-imagining of the indie-rock formula, it is a faithful exploration of it and one that the Dublin act can build on in the future.

Rating: 8/10

Live For The Dream by Penrose is due for release on July 25th.