EP Review – The Rougarou by Field Studies (2024)(Self Released)
Back in May 2023, fledgling Portland, Maine-based foursome Field Studies dipped a toe into the sometimes choppy Bandcamp waters by digitally releasing a Tryouts EP that included six demo tracks. Safely navigating their corner of potential anonymity the emerged to make a bit of a stir with a whole host of the micro-blogs that truly matter offering gushing raise and it even finished in a lofty top 10 position of our top 30 EP’s for 2024.
Perhaps buoyed by this attention, the band has released three tracks from the original EP—the title track, Dirty Lit Club, and Strange House (purchase one of the 25 lathe-cut vinyl albums, and the original You Sing To Me live demo is also included)—that have been remastered, re-mixed, and effectively given a studio lustre.
Often, such tenderizing of the ‘originals’ can lead to an inferior bastardization, with all the lo-fi cool and atmosphere of the initial versions being lost. However, in this instance, the perfect blend between the isolated distance of the originals and the new invigorated clarity and more prominent jangled sounds makes the new versions so fresh and vital.
Only a few of the vinyl LPs are left so grab a copy here while stocks last.
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