Instinctual and emotionally charged: Keo’s ‘Siren’ is a debut EP worth the hype
‘Siren’ is brimming with the guttural musicality and emotional depth of a far more seasoned band.
Photo: Hermione Sylvester
Keo’s rise has been unlike most: quick, tenacious and unrelenting. Having built up a formidable live reputation on London’s underground open mic circuit, as well as through recent support slots with Kings of Leon, overpass and Nieve Ella, the indie rock quartet have made a name for themselves on the UK scene.
Yet, despite earning comparisons to Wunderhorse (thanks to their raw, emotionally charged soundscapes and seemingly unprecedented rise), Keo are unmistakably carving their own path – one that is as striking and shiver-inducing as the title of their debut EP, Siren, suggests.
A searing coming of age collection, Siren dives headfirst into themes of recovery, obsession and identity. At its core lies frontman Finn Keogh’s all-consuming exploration of the seductive pull of self-destruction, the crushing pressure of perfectionism, and the unexpected liberation that comes from true collaboration.
Opening with lead single I Lied, Amber, the EP wastes no time in getting under your skin. Finn’s hoarse yet heartfelt vocals combine with the band’s gritty instrumentation to create a grungy lament that batters the brain and bruises the heart. There’s a raw, unpolished quality to the track that mirrors its emotional core, and it’s that exposed vulnerability, carried in every strained lyric and distorted chord, that makes Keo’s sound not just compelling but hauntingly real.
Second track Hands is equally as consuming. From the first painfully nostalgic guitar strums to the aching rise of the vocal melody, it’s a song that grips with urgency. Jimmy Lanwern’s guitar work builds and recedes in waves, perfectly illustrating the internal push and pull of clinging to a connection while fearing its loss. The rhythm section – consisting of bassist Conor Keogh and drummer Oli Spackman – moves in sync with this emotional ebb and flow, somehow managing to breathe the track to life.
Like much of the EP, Hands seems to live and mutate in real time, capturing emotional volatility with striking immediacy and breathtaking clarity. There’s a quiet desperation within it; a sense of grasping at something already slipping away, and this effortlessly bleeds into the next track, Thorn.
Visceral, volatile and deeply bruised, Thorn thrashes through the wreckage of heartbreak like a storm that refuses to pass. Drenched in distortion and defiance, Finn’s vocals teeter on the edge of grief and rage as the band channels emotional chaos into a wall of guitar-driven catharsis.
On Stolen Cars, poetic lyrics are set against swelling guitars, culminating in a chorus that feels like the world collapsing in real time. It’s cinematic in scope yet intimate in feeling; a testament to the 21-year-old frontman’s instinctual gift for capturing raw emotion that’s both wounded and meticulously crafted.
This emotional momentum carries into Kind, If You Will, which softens sonically but cuts no less deep. The track’s quieter, more introspective surface is deceptive; its lyrics infest the mind’s darker corners, dragging intrusive thoughts into the light with unflinching honesty. It’s Keo at their most exposed: unfiltered, unrelenting, and completely captivating.
Siren is an EP that lures you in with its visceral laments and never really lets you go. Once you’ve heard it, there’s no turning back. More than just a promising debut, it’s a bold declaration of intent; proof that this young band isn’t just one to watch, but one to follow closely.
Siren is out now via AWAL.