Review Summary: if you have the time to read this you also have the time to listen to this record

In the three years that have passed since Flaw, Iress’ excellent sophomore album, not much has changed for the band. The L.A. outfit remain highly sludgy, grungy and engulfing, with the brand new EP Solace presenting a snapshot of this unwavering quality. Michelle Malley’s gravelly voice continues being the star of the show as she guides the four new tracks through ethereal ponderings and crushingly intense sections with ease. The massive “Ricochet” ebbs and flows before swaying its soundscape into an uncompromising yet deceptively vulnerable climax, exemplifying everything Iress do best in just a few minutes. However, as wonderful as this record may be, its main problem can be summarised in a sentence that many Sputnikmusic dot com users will be highly familiar with: it’s too damn short.