EXETER – Grey Noise, White Lies

Self-describing their sound as “space rock,” Exeter rocketed onto the Austin, Texas music scene over four years ago and are now ready to send their debut full-length effort into orbit.

Grey Noise, White Lies attempts to grip the listener with a mix of driving rock tones and spacey guitar riffs that drift about from song to song. The album opens up with “Bittersweet Vanity,” a lively tune that really showcases their drummer Ky’s skills. The title track comes in halfway through the album in the form of a very impressive instrumental sound that clearly highlights the band’s instrumental prowess. In terms of vocals, lead vocalist Mike shines on tracks like “Widowmaker,” but his overall performance throughout the album comes off bland and uninspiring, clearly a disappointment considering the instrumental tightness of his band mates. In my opinion, "Numb" is the best track on the album, capturing the very best of what Exeter has to offer. The track mixes their orbital ambient sound with intervals of heavy breakdowns and dark hard hitting lyrics.

Grey Noise, White Lies is a fairly solid first full-length effort backed up by a really impressive group of musicians. While it’s not exactly “out this is world” material, Exeter has an exciting sound that should continue to be fine-tuned as they mature as a band.

(Engineer Records, 210 William Street, Boonton, NJ 07005)