EP Reviews - Penny Bored, Hot Mulligan, Kaonashi, Kississippi
For the past few years I've had my eyes on Penny Bored, a pop rock act from Dallas, TX. While I've always admired this artists presence and some tracks here and there, I haven't felt like there was a strong release to point listeners to. This changes on I'M BORED! a sort of re-debut under Open Your Ears records. On I'M BORED, Penny Bored has finally made good on the influences they only began tapping in on with previous releases. Songs like "on hold" work because you've heard this brand of pop rock before, but you haven't heard them with this author's stories or pain. We get a little more specific on "think of me" as well as "gossip. On these tracks they are very clearly aimed at someone specific, but both are catchy enough to the point of not mattering. "Think of me" is a special track on this EP as it sees some hip hop influenced vocal melodies and a piano charged rock hook. All elements of last year's What If? As If! which have been deeper refined for this new era. As said, those old EPs have strong tracks here and there and the only part which was missing is the little bit of extra stylistic polish. Little bells and whistles like a countdown to a dreamy synth intro, some stage musical-like ambiance or even a cheerleading routine all make for more memorable tracks. This was all this artist needed, they already had the ability, they just needed the confidence to show their identity.
Hot Mulligan - Warmer Weather (Wax Bodega)
Last year was huge for MI post-emo band Hot Mulligan. The band released their album Why Would I Watch, a seemingly instantly embraced classic, and toured extensively off of it. This year, the band has released three new singles and now has rolled them together into the Warmer Weather EP. The first two songs from this year, "Stickers of Brain" and "End Eric Sparrow and the Life of Him" played like b-sides to the last full length. They were both excellent, as any song on that record, but didn't offer anything new sonically. Both are compelling lyrically in their own right, however. "Brian" is an impassioned track about hating your workplace and the daydreaming we do to survive it. "Eric Sparrow" sees Tades deliver a really memorable verse on wishing he could disconnect from his body, leaving the shell to live out the rest of his days. The newest of the songs, "Fly Move," on the other hand, is its own piece stylistically. The intro to this track is a very slow burn, slow as if the song comes on in a shuffle, it may take a moment to register what had come on. Hot Mulligan certainly does their usual tricks, they hard sonic shift twice just in this song, but with how they get away with it I think they could do it near every song and still make it sound fresh. What's unusual for this band out of this one is the more classic emo set up toward the end, we get a gang vocal section on streetlights, and it makes me nostalgic for a certain era of bands. Tades talks here about feeling stuck in a rut, life just being killing time, something which really resonates with me now in my early thirties. I've been wrestling lately with the question of what comes next and the reality that I can't spend my entire thirties figuring it out. If someone else is going through this, it makes me feel like I at least have some time. Its very clear Warmer Weather was written as a collection of singles and not an EP. Be that as it may, it does serve as a nice epilogue to Why Would I Watch and I welcome more of this sound, it's just one I' already well familiar with.
Kaonashi - A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond (Equal Vision)
Philly’s Kaonashi has dropped the second EP in this conceptual series following The 3 Faces of Beauty from this past winter. Given the album cover and some context clues it seems each of these tells the same story from different perspectives and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn a third was coming. I try not to compare any band to any other, but it reminds me of the early Coheed & Cambria records, not just in some sonics but also with the titles representing where we are in the story. As far as the sonics of Kaonashi go this one is quite the shake up from the last. Back in January, they gave us a nonstop, all rager hardcore EP with effective but hard to hear lyrics and all aggression sound wise. Here, however, we go a bit lighter, delve into some emo pop stuff and still feel bad but with a lot more sadness than anger. For me as a listener it's nice to see a completely different side of this band and makes me appreciate the multiple EPs in the year all the more. Songs like “C.A.S.E.Y.” are single ready and this one has a great vocal lead, some fun riffs and lyrical content about school crushes and other things anyone can relate to. I imagine this EP as the music this character listens to while they drive, while they spend time with their partner and use as an exit to their day-to-day. There's a lot of sounds I’m sure a wider audience would be hungry for if they grew up in the 2000s or even 2010s but it's also undeniably Kaonashi. Using this is a great entry into the last EP and their greater catalog and even bands in Kaonashi’s area of sound. This is a really good addition to this series, and I hope I’m right about a part three, I’d really look forward to it.
Kississippi - Damned if I do it for you (Amusieo AB)
I first heard Kississippi on 2021’s Mood Ring, an album I did enjoy but didn’t make space to write about. It’s clear from the first line sung on the EP Zoe Reynolds is a completely evolved artist from back then. There’s something solidified in her voice and what almost feels like a point to prove on these songs. I might be stating the obvious here but the themes of lost faith shine pretty brightly on this project if the title wasn’t enough of a giveaway. “Smaller Half” paints a clear image of someone drained beyond their own faith, not for a lack of belief, but a disenchantment with those it forces you to associate with. “Jesus Freak” almost feels like someone in the same position poking fun at themselves for who they used to be. In spite of the heavy subject matter Damned if I do is a rather enjoyable listen. “Last Time” is a bop of a pop song, has a great vocal melody and demonstrates a lot of confidence in terms of songwriting. While I enjoyed this artist before, this little twelve-minute project leaves me hungry for more and leaves me with the label of a Kississippi fan.
Songs from each of these releases are available on the AsterTracks Spotlight playlist on Spotify
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