It’s always exciting getting to hear new bands hit the market because there are always new ways to create a new sound. I think what Pocket Hole did here was create something very unique. Having not heard them before I would say they drew inspirations from all over the rolling-rock spectrum. If I had to make an immediate comparison based off my first impression of their music, I would say they sound very similar to the band Turnover. The way they play with the down beat and give the listener a feeling of relaxation makes their Marine Layer EP a fantastic piece of work.

Pocket Hole really gets your attention in the first track, “Werewolf”. Drummer Ian Brazill does a great job leading the listener into the meat and potatoes of this incredible song. What makes it so fun is its undefined structure and exciting beat breaks. When you think you’re going into the chorus, they break it down one more time and hit you with a pre-chorus which ultimately turns into a jam session.  I tend to enjoy this type of writing because you never know what you’re going to get at the beginning of each song and when you think you do, you’re wrong – but pleasantly surprised.

I also think the EP would have also came out differently if they didn’t have the sound of those keys being played. Pocket Hole made a great decision bringing Kelly Dinh into the mix. She adds a whole new layer to their sound and accents the other instruments incredibly well. You can also tell that Ryan Nolen took a lot of time creating these songs. The emotion you hear in each song shows a lot of care for his work. In the title track, “Marine Layer”, his voice is very well balanced with the rest of the instruments and it creates this sort of dream state feeling. I think I enjoyed this track the most but don’t let that take away from the excellence and musicianship found throughout this EP. 

Sometimes it is hard to take all of your thoughts and ideas and put it into 6 songs, but Pocket Hole did it, and they did it wonderfully. If you need some tunes to jam out to in the car on a long drive, definitively give these guys a listen. I will say that I am very pleased with this release and look forward to seeing more come out of Pocket Hole in the future. 

As always, rock on my friends!     Hunnypot Approved!     Overall Rating:  9.3 out of 10

Artist, Pocket Hole,  Album: Marine Layer,  Release Date: August 15th, 2018,  Label: Independent