Demo Debut For New Local Band

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Wednesday 21 January 1998 (Michael Bugeja - The Malta Independent)

Syrup is a new Maltese duo, Shaun Grech and Matthew Cuomo. They were previously both members of the shortlived power metal band, Abortive Sex Gauge, which mutated through several stages and line-ups until its subsequent demise.

The two musicians however, kept on collaborating, and as the range of their listening tastes widened, so did the music they started to produce. They recently finished their first studio recording as Syrup. The four track affair, intended for demo release only, is called The First Prescription, and features appearances from Alex Spiteri Gingell and Toby Farrugia, the latter also playing in Leapfrogz with Shaun.

Each featured track is diverse from the next, with styles ranging from the short experimental excerpt, Bushtelegraph, which varies toward ambient, to Bury my soul which recalls distant vocal overtones of Pearl Jam's Vedder, over a power pop tune along the lines of Irish songsters Blink. Stone is another experimental track featuring children's voices babbling of butterflies over a sonic backdrop that touches on crossover alt-rock with well placed sprinkles of nineties electronica, and an ultra-catchy guitar lick. The last track, Where the flowers don't grow is a slow, dark and intense song, in which Shaun's vocals are at their most heartfelt and confident.

The four songs were recorded at Eugenio Schembri's Urban Life Studio in Fgura, and produced by Schembri and the band itself. This demo is a promising debut for Syrup, whose sound is possibly one of the freshest on the local scene. I have heard rumours that there has been some foreign interest in this band, which, after listening to this demo, I feel is an opportunity that the songs deserve. I must also comment on the impressive sleeve that has been designed by Duncan Bone around a Pierre Stafrace monochrome shot. Much care seems to have been taken in preparing this product - here's hoping that the effort is well reimbursed!