Review Summary: Count ‘em out for me, past mistakes oh, one, two, three
An unsung three-originals-and-a-remix effort from little-known Melbourne band Ceres, “Selfish Prick” is a powerful presentation of rage and nostalgia. Its despondent, personal album cover pairs perfectly with the brief musical event it accompanies.
The EP kicks off with the eponymous opening track, which sounds like it could have fit snugly onto the band’s debut LP. The understated instrumental on here couples well with Tom Lanyon’s gentle admissions (“I’ll push the good away”), which layer pleasantly behind the track’s final chorus. Vocal blemishes and musical imperfections remain here and for the remainder of the EP, enhancing the group’s songwriting with a passionate edge. The centerpiece of this EP is the group’s single most pissed-off track to date, “Woodwork”. Howling feedback opens to a classic lo-fi emo instrumental, stripped near-bare to make room for an incredible vocal performance. Lanyon’s thoroughly awe-inspiring pitched screams pierce throughout the song’s brief runtime. The pleasant yet emotionally potent cooldown of “Collarbone” is certainly welcome, with nostalgic plucky banjo leading lavish instrumentation, all rolling beneath Lanyon’s passionately imperfect voice. This song also contains maybe Ceres’ most special lyrical passage:
“Shifting palms on a park bench,
Believing things you never meant
And I’m feeling older, and I’m feeling new
Bright red freckled shoulders, it was always me and you.”
Though the three originals here are impeccable, I can’t say I enjoy the remix of “Three Times”, curiously renamed here to “Will You Feel It When I Leave You?”. Though it does cut some unnecessary length from the original, the obnoxious vocal sampling and lazy rearrangement thoroughly spoil it for me. However, despite this blemish “Selfish Prick” is a beautiful hidden musical moment, released by this underrated act the same year as an incredible debut LP.
