Marcus: The Apex Predator! just released their new EP, Newborn Fossil, on March 14th.
Newborn Fossil is an astoundingly raw heavy rock EP. But it’s so much more than that. It works with a focus on mind-bending guitars, growly power vocals with a production value to match, profound lyrical explorations, and an energetic rush that’s a kick to the gut (in the right ways). That being said, it utilizes alt-rock, pop-punk, and progressive influences at different times to build a dynamic experience.
The first thing to note is that this EP does right is its production and mix. Sometimes, in works that have a deeper tonality range and scratchier sound, the instrumentation and vocals get muddied together. This EP utilizes those sounds, but the mixing work has depth to it, allowing each part to shine. This allows the overall work to deliver a sense of grungy grit and a bit of a garage feel without sacrificing quality. Here’s a bit of a track-by-track!
This EP starts with the title track “Newborn Fossil,” which A. serves as a great hook and B. establishes a great basis of energy to play with. It rushes the listener forward with quick guitars and bass, seemingly dancing in tandem with the punch of the percussion. This track lyrically explores both time and the experience of sound. It uses the image of the “Newborn Fossil” to reference how music and sounds can pull one back in time, harkening old feelings to the forefront.
“Lo-Fi” meshes a brighter tonality than much of the rest of the EP, bringing things into a more melodic and pop-punk sound vocally. But, it holds onto the utilization of intricate guitars, and the drums here do well at building into power hits to give a punch to things. “I’m a coin slot / In a pay phone— / An obsolete / Dial tone. / A busy line / When no one’s home,” this one opens. It uses nostalgic references to touch on wanting to hold onto the past and hold relevance.
“The First Summer” then gives a more punky sound, and the bass does great in this track at giving a drive forward. The percussion has great crashiness, and overall, it rests between the energies of the first two tracks. The pre-chorus adds a catchy melody that ushers in the punchiness of the chorus well. It seems to relate summer to passion and experiencing life in an irresponsible but exciting way. It explores coming out of limbo to reach success.
“Plenty & Shine” has even more of a focus on the guitars, pulling back from the growly production a bit. The intricate riffs seem to weache around the stereo, giving a fullness to its experience. Additionally, there are more instrumental portions in this track, which highlights the skilled musicianship well. It goes back in time to explore youth and the haze of it. “Woke up in shock / with a leak in my mind. / I’d lived by the clock, / but I lost track of the time,” a part of the chorus goes. This builds into a narrative of memories lost to time.
“No Fraction” is a track with an immaculate build-up. The energy starts strong, then it keeps going up, and up, and up. The guitars play with alternating riffs that keep evolving and bumping up the pace. As the EP began strong, it then ends strong. This track lyrically gets into a tale of being suffocated by living fully for another, bending to their will to the point of where it’s holding the main voice of the track back.
Guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Kevin Watts crafted Newborn Fossil with Float Here Forever drummer Nick Marko and Kind Beast bassist Sean Bondareff. It was then engineered by Jake Shives and mastered by Grammy winner Dave Feeny. This new EP put-together is an extremely strong release. It gives something equal parts to sing along to and to think to.
Written by Sage Plapp
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