Your 2023 Isn't Complete if You Haven't Heard These Thirteen Awesome EPs
All kinds of goodness from Billy Tibbals, Sky Civilian, Lake Haze, Teen Daze, Southern Shores, Helen Stellar, Tobey Leaman, Julie Byrne, Nia Archives, crushed, Daniel Avery, Softcult, and Angel Olsen!
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Over the past few months, I started to sweat a bit while thinking about the prospect of the year-end EP list. Every time I habitually cycled through 2023’s short players while driving or lying awake at four a.m., I could think of a few that were definitely in the register but then would go blank.
Throwing them all into a shuffle-centric playlist completely changes things, so much so that picking a specific number of them to fit into a neat ranked list turns into chaos. So here are thirteen EPs I really enjoyed over the past eleven months from a whole bunch of genres, and I hope you find plenty that you haven’t come across and just maybe one that floats your boat.
A reminder that while the annual drubbing of Spotify Wrapped posts is enjoyable (really), streams don’t pay the rent and utilities for most musicians these days, so if you like something, support the artist/band!
Like last year, I’m removing anything that my record label distributed, but even if I had nothing to do with Lowmello’s ‘That Sweet Breathe,’ I’d be telling you that spacey indie rock doesn’t get any better than what Abel John laid to tape earlier this year. You can listen to all five songs on Bandcamp or stream them on any service.
Billy Tibbals - Stay Teenage
If you must have an answer, my favorite EP is Billy Tibbal’s Stay Teenage since it would have burned out my tape deck if I had listened to it in that format.
What I said in my review: Londoner-turned Angeleno Billy Tibbals landed on my radar last year after releasing his excellent debut double a-side of “Onwards and Upwards” and “Lucy.” Now he’s back with ‘Stay Teenage,’ a six-song outing that is pure whiskey and bubblegum-scented glam rock perfection. “Hollywood Baby” shares some Bowie-esque qualities to draw you in, but it’s the haywire combo of “Best Day I Ever Had” and “Hurt So Bad” that seal the deal. Even when things slow down on the string-drenched “Three In the Morning,” ‘Stay Teenage’ is soaked in classic rock glory. Freshly out of high school, Tibbals is already well ahead of the game and a rising talent in the retro-dyed Los Angeles scene - I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Stay Teenage is available on Silver Arrow.
Sky Civilian - If I Could Bring You the Ocean
What I said in my review: For all the ambient electronica readers, I want to make sure you have Sky Civilian on your radar, based here out of Santa Fe. Maggie Thornton, who performs as Sky Civilian, has released a few EPs and many excellent singles over the past four years. Her latest EP, ‘If I Could Swim I’d Bring You the Ocean,’ is out at the end of the month, and advance singles “Beautiful People” and “The Year of the Saxophone” point to this being another outstanding outing. “The Year of the Saxophone” is perfect for those hot summer nights, mixing jazzy piano, field recordings, and a shaker that mimics a sunset sprinkler. I can’t choose between the two, so they’re the bookends to this week’s playlist.
If I Could Bring You the Ocean is available on Atomnation.
dd Tobey Leaman - Military Applications
What I said in my review: Way back in October 2007, I went to see the celebrated Philly indie-psych band Dr. Dog for a small show at the Larimer Lounge in Denver. They are one of my favorite groups of the “new” millennium, but this night, particularly, had me paying attention to other things. I had just seen Dr. Dog play at Bonaroo earlier in the summer, and also, the hometown Rockies were playing for the National League pennant on their way to getting smoked in the World Series. As my friends and I stayed back by the bar and, most importantly, the tv, my now wife (we had started dating just a few weeks before) grew bored with the idea of going to a concert and watching a baseball game instead. So while the opening band was running through their set, she saw Dr. Dog’s bassist Toby Leaman at the bar and bought him a shot of whiskey. That may have been the moment I fell in love.
The current status of Dr. Dog is up in the air, but in the meantime, some members are releasing solo records. I have Scott McMicken’s album on my list for later this month, but I missed this EP from Leaman. When my buddy (who was there that night fifteen years ago) told me about ‘Military Applications,’ I was stoked because, frankly, I prefer the Toby Songs™ in Dr. Dog’s catalog. Running at almost thirty minutes, ‘Military Applications’ is extended for an EP, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that, as every song here is a prime cut. Leaman’s scruffy yet soothing vocals are still front and center, and musically, it’s a retro psych-tinged beast that confronts living in modern times. I kinda miss the rich harmonies that make Dr. Dog so good, but Leaman does a commendable job duplicating that on his own.
Military Applications is self-released and available on Bandcamp.
Lake Haze - Coordinates of a Decaying World/Pure Movements/Everything Was Melting/Mind Clarity
What I said in my review (for Coordinates of a Decaying World, Pure Movements, and Everything Was Melting): Here’s a threefer from one of the most underrated producers at the moment. Lake Haze released my second favorite record of 2021 with ‘Sun Rising On Concrete Landscapes,' and after last year’s pretty good ‘Henosis,’ the Lisbon producer is already three EPs deep in just six months. Each has its unique vibe, with ‘CoordinatesOf A Decaying World’ being atmospherically darker (highlight track: “Acid Genesis”), ‘Pure Movements’ is gorgeously ambient (highlight track: “Ephemeral”), and ‘Everything Was Melting’ (highlight track: “Vamos al la Playa”) full of club-ready acid and breakbeats. If you like Lake Haze, prepare to be spoiled, as his next one, Ionosphere, is out at the end of July.
Julie Byrne and Laugh Cry Laugh - Julie Byrne with Laugh Cry Laugh
I’ll have plenty more to say about Miss Julie Byrne later this month, but this short four-song effort is the late-year victory lap companion to her triumph of an album, The Greater Wings. Joined by Taryn Blake Miller and Emily Fontana to form Laugh Cry Laugh, Byrne sings three new originals (my fav is “Velocity! What About Inertia!?”), while adding a lovely entry to the long list of “These Days” covers, initially written by Jackson Browne in 1971.
Julie Byrne with Laugh Cry Laugh is available on Ghostly International.
Daniel Avery - More Truth
I’m alternatively calling Daniel Avery’s EP More of My Tenth Favorite Album of 2022, as last year’s effort has zero wasted tracks, and the London-based producer gives us six more greats on More Truth. His signature ambient electronic sound is firing on all cylinders here, and all these songs could have been included on Ultra Truth. “Going So Low” explores the darker side of Avery’s work with a pulsing sinister beat, “Bliss” is the perfect nineties raver, and “I Would If I Could” closes things out with a blizzard swirl.
More Truth is available on Mute.
Softcult - See You In the Dark
What I said in my review: If you prefer your shoegaze to be Canadian with pop moments, look no further than ‘See You In the Dark’ by Kitchener, Ontario’s Softcult. Consisting of twin sisters Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, the duo has played in bands together for the past decade, but Softcult is genuinely theirs. Everything from the cover art to the self-published zine is under their creative direction. ‘See You In the Dark’ is their third EP in three years, consisting of songs left off from last year’s Year of the Snake. That doesn’t mean they’re leftovers. In fact, for my taste, the shoegaze turns on the EP works in their favor. Highlights include “Drain” (not a Nirvana cover) and the gorgeous “Love Song” (not a cover of 311 covering The Cure). While we wait for the full-length debut, the Arn-Horns continue to show why the EP format is so fun, with a fresh taster every year.
See You In the Dark is available on Bandcamp.
Helen Stellar - Moonlight Amnesia
Back in 2006, I was convinced Helen Stellar would generate a whole lotta indie buzz. Originally formed in Chicago before heading to Madison, Wisconsin, and finally Los Angeles, this shoegaze trio had a minor breakout when singer Jim Evens slipped director Cameron Crowe a copy of the band’s Below Radar EP. Crowe used the atmospherically fragile song “IO” for his Elizabethtown soundtrack, and while the movie may have been the beginning of the end of Crowe’s grace with film critics and audiences, most of us who were into Helen Stellar started with that song.
Crowe also ended up reissuing the band’s early EPs as A Prayer To Myself, which I eagerly grabbed while seeing them play at the Bluebird in Denver in May of that year. There were probably twelve people in a venue that holds over five hundred, but that didn’t stop an excellent show for those who were there. In 2010, Helen Stellar would finally release their debut record, which seemed to come and go without much fanfare, and I had a hard time getting into its flat production.
For the past thirteen years, I’ve thought about the band once a year, threw on A Prayer To Myself, and wondered why things never clicked with audiences. With the shoegaze revival of the past few years, the time was perfect for a Helen Stellar return, and thanks to Substacker Kevin Alexander for getting Moonlight Amnesia on my radar. Helen Stellar might be an EP band because these four songs are all fantastic and detour back to the early aughts while sounding entirely fresh. With all of the (mostly welcomed) nostalgia this year, no record has made me feel twenty-two again quite like the return of Helen Stellar.
Moonlight Amnesia is available on Bandcamp.
Angel Olsen - Forever Means
Like Avery’s More Truth, Forever Means is a beautiful conclusion to last year’s Big Time by Angel Olsen. “Nothing’s Free,” “Forever Means,” and my pick, “Time Bandits,” all continue Olsen’s Big Time phase, while “Holding On” is a better stab at her sound from the All Mirrors era. At this point, Olsen can do no wrong in my book, and I’ll take anything we can get, including these four lovely songs.
Forever Means is available on Jagjaguar.
Southern Shores - Anyplace There Is
Thanks to limerence (formerly known as patchnotes) for recommending Anyplace There Is, this supremely breezy set of laidback electronic from Southern Shores. This music may come from frigid Toronto, but these beats will surely melt any of that week-old snow.
Anyplace There Is is available now on Cascine.
Teen Daze - Natural Movement/Fountains of the World/The Wind Surfer
What I said in my review (of Natural Movement): Over the past decade, Vancouver’s Jamison Isaak has released a grip of fantastic albums under the Teen Daze moniker. Though he started in an electronic-tinged indie pop mode, he’s progressed into more atmospheric outings (Bioluminescence, Themes for Dying Earth, Themes for a New Earth, and Morning World are nothing short of essential in my book) before taking a house and dance music turn on 2021’s Interior. It was an enjoyable record, and I welcome every iteration of Teen Daze, but Natural Movement is an even better version of the sound that Isaak is pursuing. As the press for Natural Movement says: “Whether you’re in the club, at a sunset beach party, by the pool, in the car, making dinner, running a trail; this is music that aims to meet you wherever you may be in life.” You couldn’t ask for anything more. If you enjoy these four songs, the good news is that there will be more Teen Daze EPs over the next year.
What I said in my review (of Fountains of the World): Any time Jamison Isaak releases something under his longstanding Teen Daze moniker, I’m there. We last checked in with him in January with the excellent Natural Movement EP, and Fountains of the World continues his further experimentations with house music. This one took a bit more for me to get into than usual, but digging it back out this summer has given me a new appreciation for these four songs. “Persona” is a dip into acid house with a distorted Roland TB-303 bassline and soothing piano chords working in harmony, but “Proof” is where it’s at with its funky bass and handclaps drifting off into the cosmos. The title track and “Have a Nice Time” encourage just that, as Isaak finds the sweet spot between his atmospheric past and house present. With four EPs scheduled this year, including this summer’s Wind Surfer, Teen Daze is building to have quite the 2023.
Natural Movement is available on Flora.
crushed - extra life
What I said in my review: This time from Los Angeles, more excellent shoegaze, with crush’s debut EP, extra life. The short player collects their three previously released singles in “Waterlily,” which plays with the shoegaze formula by adding some trip-hop beats, “Coil,” which rides that hot nineties wave, and the lo-fi beats of the drifting “Milksugar.” We also get three new songs, each marking progression in the duo Bre Morell and Shaun Durkan’s sound.
extra life is available on Bandcamp.
Nia Archives - Sunrise Bang Your Head Against Tha Wall
What I said in my review: Between a few EPs and a bunch of singles over the past two years, Nia Archives has quickly gained a ton of buzz across the pond, and her latest Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against That Wall sounds ready for primetime. Now on Island Records, Archives intends this latest EP to be the appetizer for her upcoming full-length debut, and I’m enticed. Mixing classic jungle and neo-soul is her wheelhouse, like on “Baianá,” which pays tribute to samba and bossa nova mashed together with drum and bass. Still, Archives also incorporates more indie elements on this latest release, like on the remarkably catchy “So Tell Me…” which features a chorus guitar, and strings.
The Tobey Leaman track is stellar. What's your top EP all time? or maybe 5?
Love Billy Tibbals. Not an EP, but have you checked out his co-conspirators in Uni Boys? If not, worth a listen.