Straight out of Denton, Texas, and just back off his first UK tour with label-mates FIONN REGAN and MIDLAKE, this is the debut EP on Bella Union for the talented singer/songwriter and accomplished musician ROBERT GOMEZ.
The five tracks here serve as a precursor to his debut long player, which is earmarked for a January release. Hushed vocals and a carousel of darkened emotional content outline a weighty stance when it comes to the subject of romantic love (and loss!).
Opener ‘Closer Still’ showcases the crooning whisper that characterises his hushed vocal with a kind of ethereal auspice as the guitars flicker around the off beat percussion and the gathering momentum shifts towards a meeting of minds and bodies.
Accordion-driven ‘She’s a Dog’ sounds European, or South American, and details the heart of a woman as it falls head over heels for the singer (I think??!!?!), in a haze of Victorian fairground noise that comes courtesy of additional organ and horns.
The vibraphonic ‘Stuck Inside’ is as catchy as hell, but on its own oddly charming terms of delicious understatement. I fell in love with the track almost instantly despite its vomit-inducing (no, literally!) subject matter. The whole EP is lazy-hazy, and quite beautiful, though your way in may well involve a complete change of sensibility. Not here. Here it is love at first listen!
|
Ending with the lovely, off-kilter country arpeggio of ‘When They Were So Brave’, which smacks of the very late 1960’s, yet reaches much further back in history to outline its melancholic tale, this is the work of yet another unearthed gem of a talent from the forward thinking, and getting-more-prestigious-by-the-day Bella Union records.
For this EP is yet another must-hear sound.
www.robertgomezmusic.com
|
