Where We Are Going by Keep Back Ivy: EP Review

by Gabe Finch November 23, 2022

November 23, 2022

Where We Are Going by Keep Back Ivy: EP Review

Emma Saynor and Andy Fretwell’s brainchild Keep Back Ivy creates experimental music with a spark of indie and alternative rock. Their EP “Where We Are Going” is an ode with a political edge, that feels every bit rebellious as the music they compose.

The EP initiates with “Won’t Forget You” with a symphonic anthem that evokes images of war and despair, but at the same time shines a hopeful light for those in revolt. Emma’s voice in the opening number is quite empowering. In combination with that, the rising ensemble of the string quartet vividly captures the power within people. Within the completion of the song, I felt excited for the next one called “Endless Cycle” which has a more indie-rock vibe to it. The clean and heavy-gain aesthetic tone of the guitar pieces sounds really soothing with a hint of gloom. In combination with Emma’s singing, the melody feels like seeing a silhouette of soldiers arriving from a distance as the sun rises from a bittersweet victory.

Keep Back Ivy creates rebellious music through futuristic sequences. This is more apparent in “You Don’t Know Me”, where the high-bpm drum loops and eerie (but funky) guitar segments shall mesmerize you. The final track “Where We Are Going” is an atmospheric melody that fits perfectly as an exit from the EP. Every journey has a tale that shares the conquests of those at the front, and the ending song of this EP captures that ambiguous feeling through lofi-styled guitars and Emma’s voice to put us at ease.