Ebb - 2025 - The Mirror

(61:00; Boudicca Records)

















In 2024 I was fortunate to come across Scottish progressive band Ebb, who sent me their debut album to review. I am truly glad they did as I was stunned to discover that here was an independent outfit who were investing in a CD which came in an A5 book packed full of colour photos and lyrics. By then the album had been out 18 months, so I was somewhat surprised to discover I was the first person to review it for ProgArchives. In November 2025 they released their second album, ‘The Mirror’, and I am again the first person to review it, but worse than that, I am still the only person to have reviewed their debut! Yet again it has been issued in an A5 book which has been beautifully designed and contains the same line-up of Erin Bennett (guitars, lead vocals, trumpet) who also provides all the material, along with Anna Fraser (drums, percussion), Nikki Francis (Hammond, piano, synths, saxophone, flute, clarinet), Bad Dog (bass), Kitty Biscuits (backing vocals, percussion, spoken words) and Suna Dasi (backing vocals, synths). Yes, only Bad Dog is male, and it is highly unusual to find bands which are virtually all female no matter the genre, and I cannot think of another like this within prog anywhere in the world.

I can only hope that people decide to discover these guys not because of what they look like, but due to how they sound, as yet again they have produced an hour-long album which is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. The songs are hugely layered, with the interplay between Erin and Nikki often the musical foil, but the bedrock of Bad Dog and Anna cannot be overlooked as the former has a wonderfully deft touch, happy to play fretless, while Anna is one of the drummers who naturally knows when to be bombastic, delicate, or when to sit back and let the others fill the space. Both of them keep shifting styles and attack, which means the floor is lava and everyone else needs to be on top of their game so as not be caught out, but that is certainly not an issue. The melodies may be carried by rippling piano, or driving guitar riffs, with synths and percussion infilling the sound, and all the time there are superb vocals and harmonies.

Ebb are one of those bands who refuse to sit within any particular sub-genre of prog, and in many ways make me think back to the beginning of the movement when music was deemed to be progressive if it met certain criteria, which is why so many diverse bands were lumped together in a genre when they actually sounded very different, and that is what we have here. Always melodic, thoroughly enjoyable the very first time it is played, I can imagine some mentioning Mostly Autumn or Pink Floyd as influences, while others could pick out Genesis or Yes. Although the layering is complex, with multiple threads being woven together to create wonderful art, there is also a huge use of space, which allows the dynamics and contrasts to come through clearly.

If you have yet to come across Ebb then you need to catch up, as they recently finished #6 in best band in the Prog polls (sitting above Jethro Tull) while this album was voted #9. This is a superb album, one to be savoured and thoroughly enjoyed. 

Kev Rowland, March 2026

Links:
https://www.ebbband.com/
https://boudiccarecords.com/

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