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Culture Brief

Reviewing Intensive Care’s It Takes Time

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Intensive Care’s new release starts off with classic guitar riffs that fade into silence. Yet, seconds later, come electronic sounds It Takes Time the EP. Their new single “I like it” on It Takes Time the EP sounds a lot like a Franz Ferdinand song, with a steady beat and gripping rhythm. In every one of their songs, the band manages to provide a broad range of sounds.

The Montreal-based band – composed of McGill alumni – is releasing a new album on March 22. The four members of the band got together five years ago, bringing together their various Lebanese, American, and Canadian cultural backgrounds. Espace Emergence Records distributed their first album, Fairytales from the Island, in 2010. Their EP It Takes Time previews four tracks from their upcoming album.

Intensive Care manages to blend raw rock with electronic recording techniques, creating a sound best described as fuzzy vintage rock meets resonating electronic. Intensive Care’s first album, Fairytales from the Island, had a more orchestral feel, a background that seeped through in this EP. The songs manage to stay grounded while reigning in a feeling of epic grandeur through resonating vocals and echoing instrumental, leaving the listener with a feeling of controlled chaos. The range of sounds these musicians bring to their EP makes for refreshing music that breaks out of the mold.

The basic layout of the songs is lyrically simple, and most songs seem to repeat a few catch phrases to accompany to the instrumental flurry. Reverberating, U2-like vocals, echoing a few chosen syllables, are a lyrical staple.

The songs feel multi-layered and complex while still remaining catchy and easily appealing. If their shows are anything like their music, expect a healthy dose of variety. Dancing around for some songs, while quietly sipping a beer and reflecting during others – the evening is sure to offer something for everyone.