Elephant Jake | Looking Good Feeling Good (EP)

Greg

Quick. Methodical. Explosive. As a whole, LGFG is over in a blink of an eye, its 16 minute stretch doesn’t feel like enough. There are some really beautiful moments throughout that made me go back a third or fourth time. Particularly, Elephant Jake really hits their stride on “Looking Good” which ends with an inspiring, classic anthem-like chant. Damn you COVID, I am now dying to see how this translates into a live set. 

Dillon

Do you like Dads? Elephant Jake’s latest EP, Looking Good Feeling Good feels a bit like an early Dads release, mostly in pacing, this EP knows just went to get quiet and when to get loud. “That Time I Brought You Soup” is, for me, the standout track it has great pacing a catchy as fuck hook and really excellent instrumentation all around. That song is Elephant Jake cranking on all cylinders and I’m excited to see this energy translate to a longer release. The rest of the EP is good, but I do feel as though the band is attempting to fold in a bit more variety and range than the time allows for. Personally, I’d rather have the energy from “Looking Good” and “That Time I Brought You Soup” extended a little further, rather than fade out into the surprisingly somber “Feeling Good”. I think Elephant Jake’s strengths lie in the infectious energy and verve of their instrumentation balanced by the sadness-tinged and anxiety-ladened lyrics. 

Sean

Am I the only one that is really put off by the artwork on this record? I understand the reference, we all remember the “life is good” shirts. Something about them just inherently creeps me out.  Anyway, looking past this, the music things don’t get much better. I am pretty shocked I did not like this. As a fan of emo/math/rock tunes this really did not jive with me. The instrumentals were strong. “Looking good” has an incredible intro, but between the vocals and some of the other choices made on this album, I had a really hard time getting through to the end.