It's incredibly important for any musical act to maintain a consistent standard of quality with their releases, and while many realize this, few have presented the level of consistency that Fractures has. About a year ago, we saw Mark Zito's project pop up with his debut single, "Twisted", and ever since, the Melbourne-based singer and multi-instrumentalist has strategically released a flawless collection of singles, all of which have been channeled into a similarly seamless EP. We haven't held back at all in expressing our adoration for Mark Zito's musical dexterity; the distinctly calm, yet often emotive sound that he's developed since Fractures' inception is something that we're hooked on, and now with the release of his debut EP, he's presented a prime opportunity to sequentially embrace his music's story, while also dropping off three more brilliant tracks for us to enjoy. The journey begins with the soporific sounds of "Embers", a track that introduces a placid array of guitar plucks, celestial soundscapes, and a haunting vocal croon, but then evolves into an empowering, uplifting jam with layers of inspirational electric guitar atop a pumping drum kit. "Cadence", one of our favorites from the work, follows next, and if you've read through our previous post about it, then you're already aware of the track's low-key indie vibe, as well as Zito's emotional struggle expressed vividly in the lyrics. The song presents a smoother, slightly more upbeat side of Fractures' sound, which we'll definitely see more of throughout the self-titled project. "Won't Win" calms things down again with soft synths, a downtempo drum kit, and subtle guitar plucks, but here we see Zito come out of his vocal shell a bit, as his unadjusted, peaceful croon takes center stage. Afterwards, instead of picking things up, Fractures decides to keep the vibes as serene as possible with "It's Alright", an extraordinarily tranquil, brand-new track composed of soft piano chords, echoed vocals, tender strings, a mysterious moaning, and faint percussion. In case it all has you on the verge of lulling off, though, rest assured that Fractures has your attention in mind with a heavier drum kit he employs beneath multiple layers of tweaked electric guitars and smooth synths in "Twisted". "Mortal" and "Unwind" are additional, new songs on the EP, and while many artists choose to release the best as singles, Fractures maintains his venerable consistency with these two releases. The former track contains what could be compared to an old Coldplay sound with Zito's powerful, yet slightly dreary piano chords and electric guitar, and each present an ideal stage for his vocals. The conclusive song, "Unwind", could be considered a more experimental one for Fractures, mostly because of the intriguing electronic drum kit and synths that constitute the song's base; sweet electric guitar plucks chime throughout, but the song maintains a gentle nature and does an outstanding job of wrapping up the entire project. Multi-instrumentalists have been blowing us away for some time now, but there are few we've come to respect as much as Fractures. With a remarkable EP under his belt, the future is looking incredibly bright for the Australian talent, and his own firmly established style as portrayed on the project is sure to launch him into heralded territories in no time at all. You can purchase Fractures EP on iTunes today.
Fractures