EP Review October And The Eyes - Dogs and Gods

At its best, ‘Dogs and Gods’, New Zealander October and the Eyes’ debut EP, is a fiery mishmash of darkly hypnotic ‘60s psych and booming vocals that evoke all the emotion of PJ Harvey one second and the skittish yelps of Karen O the next. Opener ‘Playing God’ makes like a lost Kills track, its playground beat amplifying the grimy atmosphere; ‘You Deserve It’ takes on the kind of Western hue Mattiel shines with. But between the five-and-a-half minute closer ‘Dark Dog’ dragging on - and drag it very much does - and after the entirely forgettable mid-point ‘Wander Girl’ passes, there’s the unfortunate sense that this six-track release is too one-dimensional to make the newcomer’s name stick.