Joshua Kramer and Gwendolyn Gudaiti have been writing and recording together for years, and on their debut three song EP as Memory Engine, all of that time reveals itself. This is not a rushed introduction. These are songs that have been lived in, wrestled with, and refined until they were ready, and the result is one of the most musically adventurous debut releases you will hear this year. Across three tracks the duo moves through grunge, Americana, folk, and indie rock, and at every turn they sound completely at home with each other.
The EP opens with its heaviest statement. “Lady Aqiba” comes in immediately with distorted power chords and a heavy kick and snare that makes the intention clear from the first beat. Gwen Gudaiti’s vocals are thick, soulful, and unmistakably her own, the kind of voice that would have fit perfectly into the grunge landscape of the 1990s while still sounding entirely original. What makes her delivery so compelling is the space she gives each syllable, every word allowed to breathe and expand before the next one arrives, lending the lyrics a weight that demands attention. The song is built around choices and their consequences, capturing that feeling of wanting time to stop with a line like “Pass me the bottle, give me some time, take these days away.” The guitar riffs are pure rock and roll, the melodies are immediately catchy, and the rhythms carry a uniqueness that keeps you slightly off balance in the best possible way. If this song is the first thing you hear from Memory Engine, it will not be the last.
The EP’s middle track is its most surprising turn, and its most delightful. “Dear Dismay” opens with a folky acoustic guitar strumming quickly and plants itself firmly in folk Americana territory, keeping the old sound alive without a hint of nostalgia for its own sake. What is remarkable is how completely Gudaiti’s voice adapts while remaining entirely herself. The tone and character are the same as on “Lady Aqiba,” but the genre has shifted completely underneath her, and she moves with it effortlessly, her voice transcending the stylistic leap without losing an ounce of its identity. The song builds beautifully, vocals harmonising and layering as more instrumentation enters the mix, with banjos and mandolin courtesy of Joe Tiberio pushing the energy forward in a way that makes the song feel like it is physically accelerating. Fittingly, the song is about procrastination, and Kramer does not shy away from the irony of how long it took to arrive. In his own words: “Our friends can tell you how embarrassingly long this was in the making. I can’t tell you how many times we thought we were done and going to get this out. We just kept whittling away at it and refining until we felt it was finally representative of us as a duo. It was recorded in so many different places besides my current home studio, three different states and so many favors called in. It’s amazing to finally have it out and feel like we’re free to keep going on new songs.” That process is audible in every note. This song sounds earned.
The EP closes with its most tender moment. “Across the Cuff” begins with what sounds like a signal cutting through a lo-fi radio frequency before a warm, slowly strummed acoustic guitar takes over and sets the tone for everything that follows. Gudaiti’s voice is softer here, more vulnerable, though her character and style remain unmistakably intact. Written as a dedication to the wisdom of her grandmother who has passed, Gudaiti has said that writing it made her miss her even more, and that longing is not just present in the song, it is the song. The performance is emotional without ever tipping into performance, sincere in the way that only comes when the subject genuinely matters to the person singing it. It is a quiet and beautiful way to close a debut that has already shown so much range. Memory Engine have taken their time, and however long it took, it was worth every moment.
Dive into Memory Engine now:
Memory Engine by Memory Engine
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Written by Ryan Cassata
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