Impostor Syndrome - Single Review: The Shrink
Chameleons: Imposters of the reptile world.
Imposter Syndrome: Chameleons of the music world.
Their sound, not their skin, shifting to match their influences, or if not their influences, then mine.
The Hole In Your Head was hard-hitting futurist punk from an alternate timeline where the principles of punk were high-production values, and tight performances.
Ok. Imposter Syndrome are a punk band.
Notion was like taking Shihad at their softest, but playing it like Shihad at their... Uh... Shihad-est.
Ok. No. Imposter Syndrome are a rock band.
My previously favourite track Mercury in Retrograde was a Pink Floyd The Wall era track if Roger Waters had isolated himself from the world in post 9/11 world.
Nope. Imposter Syndrome are a psychedelic rock band.
Then, just when I thought I had their sound down, they release The Shrink.
My new favourite, this song takes the punk of The Hole In Your Head, then layers that wibbly bass from A Perfect Circle’s The Doomed, Piano lines from Nine Inch Nail’s The Fragile era, and swelling atmospheric guitar and complex drum arrangements from Tool’s H and Aenima. It’s like putting on a mosaic tile floor made of my favourite 90’s alternative rock albums.
They say that when you’re happy you focus on the music, when you’re down the words. I’d comment on the lyrics, but at this point the song is too enjoyable. I can feel the disillusionment in vocalist Culleton’s voice, but for now, I can’t hear why. But I will. This track isn’t leaving my playlist any time soon.
Simultaneously delicate and destructive, The Shrink is Imposter Syndrome at their most pensive, and their hardest. The band are thinkers, experimenters, and explorers. They bear the bloodline of their now nostalgic forefather’s, without following their footprints into the world of tribute. They forge their own path.
I’m excited to see which path they take next.
Five of five stars.
About Impostor Syndrome
A big congratulations to our drum wielder Scotty and his wife Caitlin on the arrival of their beautiful baby girl. If you know him, you know he was born for this job. Can't wait to meet her! In the meantime, we've been ticking away on new tracks. We have a pretty straight forward (for us anyway) rock song we're super excited about as well an acoustic track track that Ryan and Shannon conjured up on the spot and decided it needed to get the recording treatment. Super catchy and emotive that one. We're looking to do an NZ cover for the Radio New Zealand cover competition and then also a track that's pushing seven minutes, a piece Shannon has had brewing for the past 15 years. Sounds like an EP to us!
Impostor Syndrome is a platform to be ambitiously creative for vocalist Ryan Culleton, guitarist/synth player Shannon Coulomb, and drummer Scott Nicolson. The three Auckland musicians have been friends since secondary school and have been creating music with each other in one fashion or the other since. Shannon decided to call the project Impostor Syndrome in the initial period of the bands creation. While his attitude towards music does not represent impostor syndrome directly, he had been in musical situations previously where issues relating to impostor syndrome caused some frustrating setbacks. To name the project Impostor Syndrome was almost as a mind-hack - a reminder - to ensure nothing will get in the way of releasing music this time and so far it has been his most rewarding and productive project yet - why fix it? The trio have complete DIY roots which only helps them continue to grow as musicians, songwriters, audio engineering enthusiasts and perhaps one day as a tripped out live act.
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