Producing an EP that would have fared well on a label like Creation, Towns have delivered 6 tracks bursting with sonic punch, on EP – Sleepwalking. The band are comprised of James MacLucas and Jon-Paul Beaumont on vocals and guitar (with MacLucas fronting the band) and brothers Adam Hastings on bass and Miles Hastings on drums. Mixing crunching, heavily distorted guitars with the wails of frontman MacLucas, Towns are at the forefront of nu-gaze.First track Stop Dreaming explodes into a Ride-esque, celestial whirlpool of noise as MacLucas’ ethereal voice, howls “Stop dreaming of before/It won’t be what it was anymore” into the mic, a track tinged with flashes of metallic ringing and swirling feedback. Instead of creating delicate noise pop, Towns have taken more of a ‘Swervedriver’ approach in which they have incorporated the heavier, alternative American sound of the 90s.Next track Dig Your Heels demonstrates this well, with its loud pounding Sonic Youth sound, of churning guitars that contort themselves around the fast, aggressive drums. Despite the tracks consistent power it still retains a strong sense of melody and is careful not to lose its gazey feel with the characteristic flat, almost tuneless vocals buried beneath the thick wall of sound made up of not only guitar, but it’s clashing cymbals and driving bass that give it an even richer, deep bassy sound, certain to blow your speakers (or in fact, your eardrums).Possibly the lightest track on the EP, Mirror Ghost, has more of an eerie, dream pop, ambient sound, sounding less like Sonic Youth and more My Bloody Valentine with its wailing guitar, nonchalantly undulating and reverberating over delicate, haunting melody. The EP then harks back to the sound demonstrated in the first few tracks with eponymous number, Sleepwalking.With its hefty stomping bass drum, the pounding rhythm of Sleepwalking drives the song. Not only is it unpolished lo fi, laced in glorious fuzz, the melody’s incredibly well crafted, strongly reminiscent of Teenage Fanclub with its superabundance of catchy hooks. You’ll Never Know has more of a baggy feel to it, yet still contains those punchy hooks that are heard in Sleepwalking. With the tambourine and “ahh’s” transporting the listener to the north with a Madchester sound, something that can sound average and derivative when not done well.Last track, See Feel Find is the longest song on Sleepwalking, but Towns have been careful not to make it sound repetitive and tedious, instead producing something hypnotic and mesmerising. What’s so fantastic about the Sleepwalking EP is that each song is masterfully crafted in order to avoid sounding dull and derivative. With each track sounding distinct yet all full of energy and melody.((SOURCE: WWW.REVERBANDDISTORTION.COM))