CINDERS - Going Nowhere

by Kevin Wierzbicki

This Salt Lake City-based trio consisting of guitarist and singer Montana Smith, bass man Adrian De La Cruz and drummer Brad Bennett hasn't released new music for a few years; here fans can hear what they're up to now with this four-song EP. A joyous melody rides a very rhythmic beat, some of which is created with handclaps, on "Don't Wait Up," a confession to a lover that all might not be okay and with Smith portraying a character that takes the blame for that. The bouncy cut, which leans towards an emo sound, is very easy to bop along to. "Nail Salon," which contains the clever line "I've got more things to polish than a nail salon," has a little reggae lurking in the indie pop that's custom made for a singalong. "Gold Pearl" is the effort's understated gem where Smith sings about waiting for "a better day" while the title cut closes out the EP; "Going Nowhere" is once again bright and airy even though there's self-doubt to be found in the lyrics, which include another nice turn of phrase in "I'm going nowhere/But one day I'll get there." It seems that as a band though, CINDERS is already there.

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