REVIEW: S8NT ELEKTRIC - OFF THE EDGE
- Julia Brunton
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
S8NT ELEKTRIC move through decades of rock on their debut album OFF THE EDGE, creating melodies and shreds that take inspiration from every era. OFF THE EDGE is both distinct in its sound and varied in its structure, providing a listening experience that is notably S8NT ELEKTRIC and a journey through the boundaries of their sound.
The lead musician of S8NT ELEKTRIC seems to be Niko Tsangaris on lead guitar, and is the driving force of the push of their sound from the old to the new. The first full track Catacombs, and the first half of on the edge more widely, has a classic rock air to it; the focus is on electric guitar melodies and instrumental sections with shredding guitar solos. The movement into a more modern feel comes around Mirror Image, which sticks to chords a little more strictly despite the lilting but haunting melody that carries through the track and interjects some pain into the otherwise angsty track. This mood returns by penultimate entry The River, which hits the present day persuasion of an indie rock/emo song in its intro then spacing out through its runtime to fittingly create a soundscape for walking in the rain under an umbrella. The layered guitars add to the pop rock feel, with the wishes of not forgetting bringing back the angst and feeling like a resigned sigh.
Though perhaps a matter of personal taste, the guitar-focus does lead S8NT ELEKTRIC to fall into the pitfall of overrunning movements to allow for the showing off of prowess. The last section or ending of every track on the album features a 15 to 30 seconds where Tsangaris’ takes the floor which becomes a little repetitive if the listener is not guitaristically inclined; a foregrounding of whole-band movements or of letting other musicians in S8NT ELEKTRIC have a turn would have been a welcome variation to this trend.
Despite the guitars taking centre stage instrumentally, there is plenty of room for Trey Baker’s drumming to shine through. This is first in single and second track How2Feel, where in the breakdown the sharp yet light handed beats on the rim and cymbals create a Latin edge to an otherwise heavy track. Further on the hidden-snare beat in Under That Smile is the main thing that stick about the track overall, while the second half of OFF THE EDGE has XTC’s floor-lead adding to the more sensual energy of the track and is the last example needed of Baker’s well-rounded ability behind the kit. This ability is part of what keeps OFF THE EDGE sounding fresh in every track yet cohesive overall; being able to build drumlines on varied conventions opens up combinations with the shredding and power chords of the guitars above that do not need to change as they are placed on a beat that carries them to new places.
A moment should also be taken for Bri Carbajal’s vocals, whose pop-style tone adds the genre to S8NT ELEKTRIC's fusion but lower tone and newfound scream maintains the rock and roll edge of the instrumentals she performs to. Carabajal would benefit from trusting themselves more with belting and foregrounding her vocals in the song writing process; more screams and more belts from her would be welcome and fitting for the soundscape behind them.
While sonically sound, the song writing presents the main problem for S8NT ELEKTRIC in their first release. The writing style is simplistic - not a problem in itself but with the on-the-nose words and theming is a strong indicator of a freshman project that can pull the listener out from a listening experience. Going back to How2Feel the hook of who are you when the lights go down?” is good, but doesn’t quite anchor the chorus when it opens with the vague “you never know how to feel/when it all just goes away” and its follow-up Peace of Myself “give me something to believe/you know I need it” feels like a line that they were struggling to finish writing. The line delivery on each track is still solid, but the vagueness of the lyrics throughout OFF THE EDGE suggests that a bit more time spent on crafting lyrics will be beneficial to S8NT ELEKTRIC as their distinctive sound picks up the traction it is warranted.
Overall, S8NT ELEKTRIC's debut is a well rounded introduction to their sound, perfect for fans of CREEPER and fusing the old and new conventions of rock with ease. The sound is distinctively theirs while falling nicely into the alternative rock sphere, moving between the high energy and the resigned angst to create something a little rough around its edges but packed with authenticity.
Score: 7/10
OFF THE EDGE was released on 20th March 2026 via Long Branch Records
Words: Julia Brunton
Photos: Long Branch Records
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