This was orginially written in Dutch for festivalinfo, that version can be read here.
State of Eye was formed in Amsterdam in 1999. Their biggest moments include winning the Melodyline pop award in 2004, followed by a tour through southern France and Denmark. By releasing their new EP Urban Traffic Jam they’ve achieved another thing to be proud of.
After several months of hard work and some successful try-outs it became clear that a new EP needed to be released. Urban Traffic Jam is produced by the very capable Remco Schouten of the Amsterdam IJland Studio, who also worked for some other big Dutch bands such as Bettie Serveert and Caesar. The result sounds awesome!
The four tracks on Urban Traffic Jam make you want to move and dance. Catchy choruses and Martin Glass on drums are most striking on this EP. The voice of Robin Verkaik, the band’s vocalist, is very easy to listen to. In spite of the obvious influence of The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand, State of Eye has a very distinguishable and individual sound.
Verdict: I was surprised that this band was actually Dutch. They have a very international sound and I hope these guys get the break they deserve! Urban Traffic Jam, just as good outside the city!