Review: Smile Empty Soul- Shapeshifter

Three years after making their Pavement Music label debut with Chemicals, Smile Empty Soul are finally back with the follow-up- an EP titled Shapeshifter. While it\’s an EP, there\’s still a lot of substance here. Kicking off with “All In My Head,” things start off a little simple musically but quickly take a heavy turn. Lyrically this is exactly what you\’d expect from Smile Empty Soul. The angst and personal pain are definitely prominent in the lyrics and that\’s something you can guarantee on a Smile Empty Soul record, making it very easy to connect and become one with the music as a listener. “Running Out of Something” and “Just One Place” flow together perfectly and are exactly what Smile Empty Soul are all about. While it\’s just three new songs, they\’re three powerful songs that act as a triple-punch knockout combo, which lead into re-recordings of some of the band\’s biggest and most successful tracks- “Bottom of a Bottle,” “Nowhere Kids” and “Silhouettes,” which are very well done. In the end, Shapeshifter is short, sweet, to the point and will make you listen to the entire thing on an endless loop and not feel sorry for it one bit. Rating: 8.5/10 -Reggie Edwards