The sound of Tassie three-piece Verticoli is difficult to pin down. Their music features some tripped-out and stoner-rock elements, but they can't be classed as a psychedelic or stoner band. They are just doing their own thing, and in pursuing a sound that is so uncool they are managing to be cool as fuck.
Something that helps to ensure Verticoli remain unclassifiable is the sheer variety flowing out of the Free Will EP. With only five tracks, it's a real journey, taking the listener on a voyage across powerful and turbulent seas, featuring anthemic, up-tempo rock (title track Free Will), pounding, mid-tempo epicness (Dominant), moody, bluesy atmospherics (Amsterdam) and plenty more. God is a beautifully structured, slow-burning howler that winds the EP up beautifully.
And it benefits beautifully from a production that lends it real heft and clarity but never sounds too slick and over-produced.
Some EPs seem to fly by too quickly and leave you breathless for more. Not Free Will. This release feels like a complete, satisfying piece of music, and is certain to satiate anyone who digs quirky but powerful rock music.
