EP Bundle Reviews (Yonaka, First Aid Kit, Island Club, APRE)

As albums become decreasingly popular in their traditional form, Extended Plays are one replacement that seems to be gaining traction with rap, indie, rock and even pop artists, as a useful way of putting out new music quickly.

This past year, I've seen the release of great EPs from Gabrielle Aplin, Klangstof, Nick Mulvey, Austenyo and Kitten. In this Bundle Review I'm looking at 4 EPs that have resonated with me in the last month and a half.

Island Club (Self Titled)

These 4 summery indie pop jams are part of what I call Tropical Indie, a vein notably trodden by The 1975 and all their copies (*cough* Pale Waves). This band caught my attention with their catchy single "Submarine" and it definitely sticks in your memory with those fun synths and the post-chorus. "Talk It Out" opens the EP and it's good but it seems almost too similar to Submarine. I like the premise lyrically but the instrumentation has almost no differentiation from that on Submarine. Next comes  "In My Head", a slower tempo and dreamier song with a big chorus and some phenomenal production and synthesizers in the post-chorus. The pass really comes through on this song, something that got a bit lost in the mix with Talk It Out. Finally, "Sober" finishes off the EP in a more rock driven song that I really appreciate, even if the vocals are slightly irritating. If this is the direction they take in the future it'd be a great way to distinguish them from The 1975. I think it's overall a good EP but not a great one for lack of originality sonically. I'll have to give this a 7 out of 10.

First Aid Kit - Tender Offerings

This band has put out some really beautiful country music this year, perhaps not matching the power and compositions from their previous album Stay Gold but definitely still very, very good music. Their album Ruins came out in January and has been one of my favourite albums of the year. It was softer than previous material and on this EP that is continued. The Tender Offerings EP is, without a shadow of a doubt, some of the band's best work, particularly the eponymous song. Even the final song on the EP, "All That We Get", sounds like a thoroughly completed B-side rather than some hastily-completed throwaway. Especially in its later half it starts to pick up, perhaps enough to become a favourite of mine. The opening song is a different story, it is lengthy but I enjoy all 6:39 of it. For a country song it is instrumentally sound, slow and emotional. The same cannot be said for "Ugly", a more uptempo and driven move that I didn't see coming after 2 beautiful slower songs. Perhaps that's why it's my least favourite although it's far from being bad and I still enjoy listening to it. This EP is just quite accomplishing and I adore most of the songs so it's getting an 8 out of 10.

APRE - Drum Machines Killed Music

I suppose this EP is a sort of followup or updated version of the 1979 classic "Video Killed The Radio Star", an obviously ironic statement when APRE uses drum machines in every song. And it sounds great. From the synth-heavy intro "After You"leading smoothly into their MGMT-esque single "Without Your Love" you get the immediate sense of musically talented individuals that WILL be huge. Without Your Love is without a doubt the standout on here with excellent lyrics and hooks left, right and centre supported by the fantastic production and sounds, perhaps not as weird as MGMT were but undeniably interesting and fresh. The bass sort of gets a solo which is maybe my favourite part of the song, the synths dancing in a distorted way around the bass before those drum machines kick in for the final chorus. Next comes "Everybody Loves You", a song I find to be similar to Sundara Karma's "Indigo Puff", particularly with that amazing synth riff ripe with a musical flare that many indie pop bands just aren't grasping these days. Finally we get the haunting closing song "U/Me" which is maybe my personal favourite. It definitely has a great flow and emotional chorus, distraught and frustrated vocals drive the song with only the support of a repeated drum tom and snare as well as slightly ghostly synthesizers coming in and out of the song. I have listened to this EP so many times and I enjoy it more with every listen, right now I rate it an 8 out of 10, definitely check this out!

Yonaka - Teach Me To Fight

I first discovered this band when I saw them open for The Amazons in February. I recognised the potential but didn't realise that them going in a more pop direction would help achieve that. All four songs are absolute fire beginning to end. Every song has a huge poppy chorus, massive guitars and interesting electronic elements fused seemlessly in, sounding particularly fresh and energetic. Truly the band know how to write, perform and produce a tune because all four songs are extraordinary, every single song has a high chance of making it onto my year-end list. The single "Fired Up" is brilliantly poppy, "Waves" is just absolute musical perfection, "Teach Me To Fight" is a huge rock smash and "Wish You Were Somebody" is an excellent indie rock piece, very observant and lyrically excellent. I've not done this on my blog before but I think as an EP goes this is 100% perfect, there is no flaw or imperfection. Perhaps the 4 songs aren't the 4 best songs of the year but the EP is collectively solid and impeccable in everything I look for. This is a 10 of of 10. Well done Yonaka, I can't wait to hear more!!