Message from 9 Maps about CD 4 Launch Party A:
Playing at the launch party was a great experience, not only for the bands invited but also for the audience who were quite vocal in their support for the music but also for the sponsors and organizers. The venue was a great choice and every band had something different to offer. We’re very happy to share the album with so much unique and home-grown talent.
– 9 Maps
Global Battle of the Bands Hong Kong 2010 Finalists
Live review from GBOB HK Final 2010
These two young women let their music do the talking for them, with their mellow stage-presence and flowing, melodic songs. Their sound, considerably added to by the drums (which reduce their formerly pastoral tones), was breezy and fresh, and with a good sound system, their harmonies were quite moving, despite the fact that it really was quite packed upfront. The somewhat confessional lyrics with their gentle conversational tone were quite interesting. Their sound was, in all honesty, a bit raw, but that was endearing in its own way, and they did a really good job showing us exactly why they are such up and comers in the HK scene.
— Shashwati
Live Review from Girls with Guitars 2:
Setlist:
1. Blame
2. White and Gold
3. The Harder Times
4. Walls
5. Gatekeeper
6. Traces in Hand
Both girls came on stage, with borrowed stuff from Heather and Dark Secret, as they soon informed us. They had a genial demeanour, and their set had a wonderful disjointedness to it – the kind that threatens to fall apart, but doesn’t, while simultaneously giving a sense of palpable excitement. Their songs rest on their sometimes intricate, well-executed vocal harmonies, which do wonders for the songs’ feel and texture. They, again, have voice qualities different enough to sing the sea-against-the-sky-horizon harmonies. Their songs were simple, with melodies that were moving in their simplicity, and clever lyrical arrangements. The instrumentation was used largely as ornamentation for the songs, and was quite effective mood-wise.
Blame began with a simple arpeggiated intro, with a sorrowful feel and undulating vocal melody. White and Gold saw a lot of use of delay, which made the few notes strummed feel like many more, and providing some trepidation; a feeling as if something would happen at any moment. 4 Walls saw Sherin run off to get what I think was a lyric sheet, and we were told that the song was about a fanciful situation in jail, soon followed by a powerful collision of verse and instrument in the chorus. Gatekeeper was a really, really beautiful song that had possibly their best harmonies in it. The chorus had catchy lyrics, while sounding completely genuine; the overall effect would have had anyone holding their breath during the song. Just before Traces in Hand, we saw some more of that disjointedness in the form of a minor argument between the girls, which carried into the song as well, with the barrage of notes on bass and guitar creating instant atmosphere. Funnily enough, after all that harmonic loveliness, they finished off their set with a snappy “that’s it!”.
–Shashwati
