Premium Vision: A Brief Review Of The New EP From Ecstatic International (Priests, Ex Hex, Olivia Neutron-John, Des Demonas)

This one snuck up on me, but holy moley, it's something special. Ecstatic International is another D.C. super-group, but one made up of folks who'd likely bristle at that term. The collective is set to release its debut, self-titled EP on Sister Polygon this week, and I'm happy to report it's as lively as one might expect given who's in this band.

And, you might ask, who's in this band? Ecstatic International is Laura Harris (Ex Hex), Nikhil Rao (Bottled Up), Jacky Cougar Abok (Des Demonas), G.L. Jaguar (Priests), and Anno (Olivia Neutron-John), with production by Don Godwin (Too Free). What's not to love about this set of players? "High Violence" is a break-down of Eighties synth tropes, while "Disruptor" marries Jacky's vocals up with an approximation of Talking Heads rhythms circa Remain in Light. The cut, a real highlight here, is full of throwback charm, and is percussive as hell. Elsewhere, "Monsters" marries the beats with choppy guitars and spoken vocals to fine effect, even as "Premium Vision" and "Corridor" are bass-heavy synth winners.

The entire EP is full of supple hooks, sleek surfaces, and energetic bits of instrumental craft. Each member contributes in a distinctive way, enough that even a casual fan of the originating bands should be able to pick out who added what. Ecstatic International likely started as an experiment from like-minded peers, but the resulting EP has the sort of cool vibe that producer Godwin's Too Free project had. And when that's combined with the kind of brash DIY spirit that's a hallmark of D.C. musical groups, the result is something awesome. I hope to hear more from Ecstatic International as this EP, while great, isn't enough for this listener.

The Ecstatic International EP is out this Friday on Sister Polygon Records, and via Bandcamp below.

[Photo: Ecstatic International / uncredited]