The Sad Season‘s “It’s All Too Loud in Here” is a three-track EP from the London-based band featuring Mikee from SikTh , and is the result of a long creative journey through melancholy, anger, and heartache, ultimately arriving at something more hopeful. What started as a duo between longtime friends Mikee and Tomasz has evolved into a full band with Sian on bass and Ralph on drums, and that expansion shows in the sound. Drawing from influences like Leonard Cohen, Sonic Youth, and The Velvet Underground, the band has crafted something that sits somewhere between dirty garage rock, 60s psych, and progressive post-rock. It’s gnarly, hypnotic, and surprisingly original, thanks to its dual-vocal setup and layered approach.
“Hermits Under Blankets” is the first song of the EP, and it sets the psychedelically groovy tone. The vocals are jarring and powerful, and the rhythm section is layered and multidimensional, tickling your mind as it goes. Credit to drummer Ralph for bringing the sound to the next level here.
“Tungsten Lights” has the most headbanging, catchy riff of the 3 songs on offer here. It’s as heavy as you can get with the rhythm section locking in like a well-oiled machine. There are spacey clean breaks to spread out the intensity of the main riff, to leave you wanting more of that riff, so when it comes back, it falls back in a satisfying way that aligns with the story told through the lyrics.
“Breathing Out The Smoke” is the finale of the EP, and it’s the track with the most atmosphere in my opinion, which is to be expected since it has a 7-minute runtime. It’s kind of like a direct continuation of the previous two songs or a merge between them. It builds and delivers a powerful crash at around the 6 minute mark, and at that point, a mellow outro serves as an epilogue to the story where the intensity of the EP settles in.
“It’s All Too Loud in Here” works because The Sad Season understands how to balance heaviness with space. The dual vocals create this wild and fragile dynamic that shouldn’t work but does, and the way the band moves between gnarly riffage and hypnotic grooves keeps things interesting across all three tracks. After years of work, this EP feels like it was worth the wait. The band’s recent performance at ArcTangent 2025 proved they can translate this sound live, and with Sian’s distinct style on bass and Ralph’s drumming holding it all together, The Sad Season has found something genuinely unique.
