Flicker Rate is the project of 16 year old Spencer Bassett, who’s father is the multi-talented John Bassett of Kingbathmat and Arcade Messiah. This makes things interesting on two fronts. One is of course Spencer’s age and the other being his pedigree. I think each balance the other since I was not going to be easy on him because he is 16 nor I am expecting him to be his father either.

So what about Flicker Rate? It is like Arcade Messiah in many ways. There’s no avoiding that I guess BUT it’s not as dark or heavy. Flicker Rate is the nicer and gentler version of Arcade Messiah. It’s more post rock than post metal though. The riffs are all solid and the hooks are strong. My favorite song is actually the shortest “Small Sun” which has 2 very memorable riffs. I just wish it was more than 2 minutes long.

The one issue is the tempo is all about the same. I wish things would speed up at times, it would make some of the riffs even more interesting in the process. “Elusive Rain” could be a hair faster and the verse riff of the aforementioned “Small Sun” almost seems slower than the chorus riff. I wish it was much faster actually! The opener “Valhalla” could even be a bit more epic but I think Spencer prefers a more stripped down sound and that’s fine too.

At approximately 13 minutes, it is a brief introduction to the world of the young Mr. Bassett. I would bet if I hadn’t told you he was 16, you wouldn’t know it based on this EP. I am guessing his father didn’t sound this polished at this age. There’s room to grow and mature of course but I think this makes an excellent opening greeting from a talented musician, regardless of age or DNA.

Rating: 7/10

Tracklist:
1. Valhalla
2. Evident
3. Small Sun
4. Elusive Rain

Bandcamp: flickerrate.bandcamp.com