Gunning For Tamar - Camera Lucida

The best thing on Oxford-based Gunning For Tamar’s third EP is the band’s use of dynamics. From the opening disarming piano intro of ‘Yogging’ through to ‘How To Set Fire To Your Hands” instrumental wanderings, the music twists and turns in directions you don’t always expect.

There’s a nice balance present in these five tracks between rousing anthemic choruses - as on ‘Lights, Daggers And Faces’ - and the more idiosyncratic and intricate sounds of ‘Yogging’ which have a spirit of invention in their wired sound and inventive riffs reminiscent of Biffy Clyro’s earliest material.

Singer Joe Wallis’ voice is strong and strident and a perfect counterpoint to the band’s impressive rock textures. There’s real songwriting skill as well, as evidenced on the melancholy yearning of ‘Another Season’.

The EP’s title is taken from a book outlining people’s relationships and connections with photography and images; it’s an apt name for Gunning For Tamar’s explorations of the human psyche. They’re a band that you sense have a surfeit of ideas bubbling up constantly.

Perhaps the best song here is ‘Swallower’, the track representing the band at their most vibrant; there’s something hugely thrilling about the machine gun-like drum fills that power it along. It’s a highlight among many on an EP that marks a clear development for the Oxford band.