Review Summary: Simultaneously uncertain and relentless, optimistic and realistic
"Appreciate" starts the EP off strong with a somewhat mellow sound that, while soon introducing a club-friendly beat, never really cheers up. This slightly sad feeling stays throughout the entire EP, in contrast to more cheerful work they later produced. "Coffee Table" is also well done. The verse/chorus contrast is a little odd, and helps it to be tired yet optimistic. "Sceptics" is the most danceable song on the EP. Even though the first 2 minutes are essentially a giant buildup, it doesn't feel like your typical "build-up/drop" format. Instead, it builds up, releases (without disappointing), adds a verse, builds up, and then drops. And it drops fantastically and creatively. One overused idea throughout the EP is ending on an overly introspective note (used on "Sceptics" and "Coffee Table") This is an underused idea throughout the competition, but Lemaitre overdoes it somewhat on this EP and some of their other work, i.e. "The Friendly Sound EP." Lastly, "The End" is probably the best song. It successfully nails the feeling targeted by the other tracks, it feels cynical, moody, and sounds genuinely "mid-beat" without being overly cheerful or negative.
"Relativity 1" is intriguing, pleasing, and thought-provoking. Lemaitre manages to genre-bend with the best, but without randomly flipping through other overly-recycled ideas. It is optimistic but not too optimistic; Lemaitre believes that the glass is probably half full, but they're not really sure. This gives it a "real" feeling that is extremely hard to successfully evoke, and that is their greatest achievement with the EP.
