Family Average: 3.5/7

“Das Boot” is not romantic. Dis Boot, however, is. 

I’m sorry. That was a terrible pun but I saw the opportunity and took it. 

Really though, this guy seems like a real romantic. Boot is dealing with emotions of the heart and creates tunes with such a sentimental lens, it’s borderline saccharine. There’s something youthful and adolescent about the lyrics and overall handling. Through his writing and boyish vocals, we get a wide-eyed perspective on being in love and experiencing it all. 

While the stories and sentiments are sweet, I think the instrumentation piqued my interest more than the lyrics. His vocals fall under that nasally kind of monotone umbrella with acts like Elvis Depressedly and Alex G — All very good but all too familiar for my little ears. The mix of instrumentals, however, felt fresher, a little more playful, even erratic at times. The twinkling guitar mixed with bouncy moments of percussion had a bit of vivacity to them that contrasts with his weary voice. It gave it all a bit more bite. 

All in all, this EP is a completely charming debut. Boot’s got his heart on his sleeve, plain and simple. It’s a collection of work that displays authentic emotion and deals in universal experiences, and fits the bill for any moody sort of bedroom indie vibe you’re after. 

4/7

Ahhh the brood is strong here. The BROOODWITCH. Not just the sandwich from that Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode (hilarious episode by the way). No I am going to hijack the word because I need to leverage it to describe the sound this band puts out. While a clear line can be traced to my favorite melodramatic bedroom pop bands like Colma Cinema, and Bill Baird this boot has got a bit of bite to it. That’s the nature of the BROOOODWITCH baby! They have a fantastic knack for kicking up the energy and metamorphosing into a rock band right at the height of your groove into a slow jam. To summarize they are a slow core band with a rocky side to them. Still the slow moments far outweigh the peppy bits. And the lyrics bounce around a myriad of distressing topics. Which I am all about. The third song serves to break up the monotony slightly the track is called “Let’s Go To Bed”.

Let’s Go To Bed was one of the most experimental covers I have ever heard. Robert Smith would be proud! All jokes aside this dummy (me) really did think it was going to be a cover. Pleasant surprise though it is an upbeat tune. Even with the bummer lyrics. I could still bust a dance move or two. It served as a little glimmer before we were back to the BROOOODWITCH! That’s an important piece of the recipe though. Got to let us get up for air so when we get dragged back down it is all the more bitter-sweet.

I left feeling pretty good about this project. I would have liked to see a little more musical ideas being tested. Ep’s could be a cool place to try them out. Then again what the heck do I know?

3/7