At this time of year, there are way too many albums and not enough hours in the day. That’s where EPs come in handy: You can feed your new-music jones without having to lose sleep. Here are some of the latest offerings from my in-box. I’ve tried to include links so you can buy the tunes straight from the source and save yourself some time:
Dylan
Sim Check
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Dylan is a Montreal art-rock four-piece. Dylan is multiple and Dylan is one. The band Dylan is a group of musicians conveniently placed in one time and space. Drawing from their surroundings, vocals rain down on a metropolis landscape humming themes of alternate technology, good for your living? Good for your health? The abrasive guitars carve the landscape clean while the beating rhythm section give the illusion of structure. The self-released EP was recorded by Ola Kado, mixed and mastered by Val Ignat, with engineering design and direction by Liam Hamilton. Dylan has been making waves in montreal since their conception last year, playing alongside the likes of Deliluh, Bleu Nuit, Dead Soft, Guerilla Toss among others. Following the Sim Check release, stay tuned for the three-song Dylan EP Equifaxe Parallax.”
Colin Self
Orphans
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Orphans is a satellite in the orbit of Elation, Colin Self’s speculative multi-act, sci-fi operetta that conceptually concluded with the 2018 album Siblings. In part a prequel to Siblings, Orphans continues to center non-biological family storytelling based on the forgotten, unnamed, and marginalized. At Orphans‘ nucleus is the eternal child, left to their own devices to survive through pleasure-seeking, creative community-building, and imaginative strategizing.”
Golden Cinema
Peachy Keen
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Our new Peachy Keen EP was recorded over the summer of 2019, with Derek and I recording our parts on Prince Edward Island and Chris recording his guitar and vocals in Toronto. Due to working on a shoestring budget we weren’t all able to be in the same place, which started off feeling like a roadblock but ended up being a fun experiment! After the basic recording was done we sent the songs to our mixer and long-time pal, Dan Griffin (Teen Ravine, Arkells), who added some killer synths and strings and mixed the hell out of it. Dan Weston, who Chris actually plays on a softball team with, mastered the songs which was exciting because he mixes and masters records for a lot of our favourite Canadian musicians, such as Daniel Romano. We’re thrilled with how the songs turned out and can’t wait to get back to work on more music. Maybe it’s finally time for a full length album…”
Ayane Yamazaki
Life
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ayane Yamazaki (山﨑彩音) is a 20-year-old Japanese singer-songwriter. When she was 17, she performed at Fuji Rock Festival 2016 as the youngest singer-songwriter ever, and became a hot topic. Her music is a unique alternative music that is a miracle mix of Tokyo city pop and New York dream pop and bedroom pop. Has affinity with claro, Snail Mail and Phoebe Bridgers. The lyrics sing a young girl’s romance and world view, which also leads to resonance with LGBT.”
Villagers
The Sunday Walker
THE PRESS RELEASE: “As autumn draws in, Villagers are pleased to announce The Sunday Walker EP. The four tracks collected here are primarily songs recorded around the time of The Art Of Pretending To Swim sessions – Conor O’Brien’s acclaimed fourth album, released last year. In Conor’s words: “The tracks that fell through the cracks; it turns out they had their own story to tell. The Sunday Walker EP is a collection of lost songs as much as it is an emotional arc. Songs of loss and songs of realization. Songs of empathy and isolation.”
R.C. Sullivan
Caution
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Caution. Tread lightly. This new four-song EP might impair your ability to drive or operate heavy machinery. It does so by painting you a world picture that is far from pretty. A dystopian world in which humans are expected to constantly better themselves, but where bettering ones self is interpreted differently by everyone. Some take to chasing a career, some take to medication and some … some make in your face punk rock with roots in old and modern day hardcore music. The band’s name is a reference to U.S. Park Ranger Roy Cleveland Sullivan. He survived getting struck by lightning seven times. Despite his seeming immortality, an unrequited love got the better of him; he committed suicide at age 71. This contrast between humanity’s durability against unstoppable forces one hand, and its frailty on the other, inspires the band.”
Naughty Professor
Everyday Shredder
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Everyday Shredder brings New Orleans based jazz-funk sextet Naughty Professor back to its 6-piece instrumental roots, highlighting the full-circle maturation the band has experienced over the last few years. Developed as a totally organic creation in Bill Daniel’s Wild Child Studios of New Orleans, Everyday Shredder showcases the extraordinary talents of the band and serves as a reminder of Naughty Professor’s innate abilities as a forward thinking funk powerhouse, yet leaves the door open for continued development and expansion into new musical spaces.”
Fever Joy
Reflections
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Regularly found singing into a tape recorder from the age of three, singer/songwriter Avery Robitaille grew up in the jungles of Indonesia as a missionary kid. Isolated from western and pop culture she spent most of her time writing lyrics and journaling about her dreams of touring the world. At the age of 18, Robitaille made the decision to relocate to Los Angeles to pursue that dream. While performing at an open mic night, Robitaille met Sean Baker and the two quickly realized their aligned visions and ability to translate each other’s experiences into music. Inspired by real life events and crafted specifically to focus on experiences that aid in you finding who you truly are, Robitaille shares, “This EP is about empowerment, removing a ‘filter’ and just being open about how certain life experiences made us feel”. NOTE: I almost deleted this entry because it actually DID waste my time (and annoy the living shit out of me) — none of the THREE different publicists who asked me to cover this had the sense to include the cover art in their emails. I don’t know whether that’s the fault of the band, their manager or the publicists. Either way, somebody needs to get their act together. This crap isn’t exactly brain surgery, you know?
Lucy & La Mer
I Feel Better Now
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lucy & La Mer is the LA-based indie project of singer/songwriter Lucy LaForge. Lucy’s new EP I Feel Better Now, which includes highly acclaimed singles Blue Dress and Discover, narrates the importance of empowering yourself through positive thoughts and intentional belief. The infectious feel-good folk pop record covers themes such as discovering one’s bisexuality, simplifying complicated feelings as well as self appreciation, confidence and sense of community.”
