Blis. – Starting Fires In My Parents House

  • Cole Faulkner posted
  • Reviews

Blis.

Starting Fires In My Parents House - Soft Speak

Depending on your background, Atlanta, Ga upstart Blis. may sound like Chris Carabra trying his hand as a post-punk collab group.  The four-piece’s lead vocals feature that same cloudy whisp and fragile, emo-esque quaver that Dashboard Confessional is known for.  But it’s an experimental edge that sets Blis. apart from Carabra and closer to the likes of Weatherbox.  Their latest EP, Starting Fires In My Parents House, plays to a soft and pleasing aura punctuated with upsurges of genuine human expression.

The four-track EP sets the tone with the well-rounded entry point, “Floating.”  Unlike many of their peers, Blis. doesn’t overdo the noodly emo riffs, deploying them sparingly amidst a strategic backdrop of airy, somewhat jangly chords.  As found in “Stationary,” rougher riffs crunch broadly when emotions run high, mirroring the targeted and aggressive vocal outbursts.  At the peak of expression the band inches close to contemporaries Have Mercy, unloading the full weight of their angst.  Careful not to abuse these eruptions though, it’s actually the soft flow of “Savannah” that defines Blis. on the whole.  In this regard, Starting Fires In My Parents House predominantly rallies around tranquil compositional patterns.  Think Young Statues and Modern Baseball but with all of the extra baggage of the post-punk scene.

Ending on a soft note with “You Can Tell A Lot,” Blis. harmonizes edgier elements by overlaying faint but outspoken parallel screams against a twinkling haze and fragile vocal lead.  This eclectic mix encompasses the collective scaffolding from which Starting Fires In My Parents House succeeds from.  The quartet finds themselves in a place where their execution feels very much in tune, and that they’re just reaching for that very distinct mark that will embolden them from their peers.  With Starting Fires In My Parents’ House, that moment should come soon for Blis.