Review Summary: Jam "Glendale" instead.
It’s hard to
not take points off due to the pure disappointment of the EP. I’ll admit outright to have discovered Clans through the jaw-droppingly blissful blend of electronic, dance, and folk music in their single “Glendale,” and when I eagerly scoured the rest of their scant body of work, well. You know how the story goes.
Lust abandons Clans’ mastery of modern folk seen in “Glendale” and “Prayers” to deliver a piece that harkens back to their first, and admittedly much more popular, single “Alibi.” What proceeds is an equally strange mishmash of what can only be described as a mix of Adam Levine-styled pop and doo-wop with alternative stylings.
This isn’t to say that Clans is unsuccessful in their new direction. The opener sets up a sultry atmosphere that betrays rock influences rather than the moody pop that immediately follows in “Easy Love.” The duo form a bond as the strongest tracks the EP has to offer.
Both “Alibi” and “Needs” are solid listens as well. The former functioned as the lead single that propelled Clans into notoriety, and currently serves as the staple which holds the sound of the EP together, as much as we might wish they put “Glendale” in its place;.“Needs” plays into some dangerously jazzy r&b territory, creating a vibrant and memorable closer that grows on me each time I hear it.
“Lollipop” starts innocently with some quiet acoustic strumming before pulling the rug out from under you and thudding some tired beats over unconvincing vocals from sole member Niko Monjarez, as he sings about “shawty” licking him like a lollipop. Even this obvious weak link has redeeming factors about it though, featuring some lovely instrumental stretches and admittedly being quite fun as long as you leave your brain at the door.
I can’t blame him for following in this direction. When one of your poppy singles hits a million listens, it’s a fact of life that you’re not gonna make a folk EP. But no matter how you spin it, it’s just a damn shame when one thinks about what an affecting work of art we could’ve had on our hands.
Maybe in another life, things would’ve been different.
