It's Time For an EP Round-Up with Barry Can't Swim, Ben Redell Band, and Pronoun
With jazz infused house, Angeleno outlaw country, and emo pop, there's something here for everyone.
It’s been a few months since I’ve reviewed the latest and greatest short players, so let’s take a look at what is on repeat this summer.
Barry Can’t Swim - Amore Fati
Shall Not Fade has been releasing some of the best house music in the game for the past five years. This year has been solid with the latest Laurence Guy EP and Lake Haze’s phenomenal Sun Rising on Concrete Landscapes (don’t be surprised when Concrete Landscapes ends up in my top ten for the year, it’s that good).
As their roster continues to expand, it has been Barry Can’t Swim that has caught my ear. In May, the London via Edinburgh producer made his label debut with “Lone Raver,” a track that I immediately added to my great songs of 2021 playlist.
Starting with subdued piano samples and melancholy vocals, the song builds into a euphoric dance track full of well-placed filters and just enough grooving beat.
A few weeks later, “Jazz Club After Hours” was unleashed, which confirmed that while Barry Can’t Swim, he can make a helluva dandy house track. With more organic instrumentation, the piece skips around the lounge led by strings and woodwinds before a tasteful break opens up with sophisticated jazz instrumentation.
His debut EP for the label, Amore Fati collects these two new classics with “Rah That’s a Mad Question,” a summertime heater full of memorable piano melodies, and “El Layali,” a new track that solidifies this leisurely set.
Here’s hoping for a full-length debut soon as you’ll have this blissful sixteen minutes on repeat.
Amore Fati is available now on Shall Not Fade.
Ben Reddell Band - ¡La Baby!
When it comes to throwback California grooves, Brent Rademaker of GospelbeacH and Curation Records is the ultimate tastemaker.
So when he recommended ¡La Baby!, the new EP from Ben Reddell Band, I was sure to give it a spin. A twangy six-song set of throwback country that is ready to burn down the barn at any moment, this record harkens back to the outlaw scene of the seventies.
Born and raised in Texas but now a staple in the Los Angeles country scene, Reddell, who has filled in on bass for GospelbeacH and is the studio manager at Bedrock Studios, has assembled a phenomenal band that rolls through a tight, dancefloor-filling set on ¡La Baby!.
“My Baby” is a classic love song that is so breezy and familiar; you’d swear it was a standard. “Cocaine” is a stomping party-er that leaves Slowhand’s old piece to rot. Reddell is a clever lyricist, and it’s hard not to chuckle while he sings about “drinking in my underwear” and asking for a lighter “cos I want to roast this bone” while the world burns outside.
“Tumbleweed” is an older track that Reddell has had floating around since he was down on his luck when getting started in LA. It’s a relief that “Tumbleweed” finally sees the light as this is a gorgeous track in the set. “Love Her & You Need Her” is driven by Jeremy Long’s accordion work and is an instant earworm.
“12 Bar Blues” is a classic country ballad that the mainstream scene has abandoned before the set closes with the optimistic “Good Thing.”
A celebration of the Los Angeles country and roots scene, ¡La Baby! includes some of its best players with the aforementioned Jeremy Long (Sam Outlaw), scene staple Elijah Ocean, guitarist Joe Bourdet (Jonathan Wilson), drummer Travis Popichak, fellow GospelbeacH-er Jon Nieman on keys, and Matt Pynn (Billy Ray Cyrus, Ringo Starr) on pedal steel.
Now, this is what I call country music.
¡La Baby! is on all streaming services now.
pronoun - OMG I MADE IT
Alyse Vellturo has been writing under the pronoun moniker since 2016, crafting infectious bedroom pop that flirts with emo. After an EP and her full-length debut, i’ll show you stronger in 2019, this summer’s OMG I MADE IT is aptly titled as this feels like her true breakthrough.
Vellturo, who attended Berklee College of Music, spent her first years working on the industry's business side. With OMG I MADE IT, I’m glad she left the desk and picked up a guitar again. More forward in its production than her debut, OMG I MADE IT is pure pop with confessional lyrics.
Opener “SOUND THE ALARMS!!!1!” finds Vellturo struggling with the rest of our generation to find her footing as she sings the infectious chorus of, “people say that you’ll find yourself eventually with the passing of time, and I’m out here tryin’, but I still feel like dyin’.” “I’M RIGHT BACK IN IT” is one of the songs of the year as Vellturo achieves pure pop perfection in the vein of Tegan & Sara.
“I WANNA DIE BUT I CAN’T (CUZ I GOTTA KEEP LIVING)” continues with the clever use of double-tracked vocals while Vellturo gives herself a pep talk that is intimate yet infectious. “HALF OF THE TIME” and “WASTING TIME” close out this short set with the former leaning into eighties influences, and the latter offers glimpses of hope if Vellturo could toss aside the theme of self-doubt.
In a crowded genre, Alyse Vellturo’s commitment to working out her struggles through her biting lyrics and an ear for standout pop melodies place her in a position to break out as she celebrates, making it through a difficult period.
OMG I MADE IT is available now on Wax Bodega and Sleep Well.
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