Epic Sigh’s “Deteriorate,” a single served straight from the neon-drenched gut of Las Vegas, has somehow materialized. Nina Carmine’s vocals—soulful? Yes, hauntingly so, echoing off the canyons of some internal, broken jukebox. Alongside her, Aleena Carmine with songwriting and Nick Carmine helming production construct, it at its heart; its sonic skeleton. Alan Nicholas’s Guitar, sampled throughout the track, has left an indelible impression on me, leaving me dazed as to their ability to make a six string scream.
This isn’t just background music for your existential dread; this is the soundtrack. The track paints a vivid portrait of a desert city tearing itself apart – you can almost taste the grit and the desperation. One question keeps running in my head, if sand could sing, what key would it choose? Probably a minor one, based on “Deteriorate.”
The tribute to David Gilmour/Pink Floyd is palpable, but it’s not mere imitation. There’s a pulse here, a uniquely Epic Sigh kind of blues-rock-alternative blend. The influence seeps in, of course. I mean that guitar? It weeps a digital tear that seems suspiciously analog. The whole thing thrums with the ghost of 2000s alt-rock.
The theme of violence, cyclical and inescapable, presented by the band? Well, it doesn’t pull any punches. There are lines being drawn between childhood trauma, present-day aggression, and a future that looks remarkably… well, doomed. It’s like a sonic Hieronymus Bosch painting. Yet there’s some twisted, compelling need for absolution stitched through this burning tapestry of neon and regret, of love lost and betrayed.
Suddenly, I’m reminded of that time I saw a flock of pigeons fight over a single french fry. Survival of the fittest, right?
The single stands well on its own, of course. But from what they told me about being part of some grand concept album narrative? It does indeed, leaving the track is a gear turning in something larger. Something even… darker?
Does “Deteriorate” offer answers? No. But it screams the questions with a raw, electric urgency that is a perfect portrayal.
