Review Summary: But right now I'm just trying to feel okay.
Basically the fleshed out solo project of Old Gray’s violin player Nick Kwas, Guest House formed earlier this year with little to no fanfare, releasing their debut ep almost a month ago. With a single look at the album cover/title of Guest House’s
I’ll Get Over It I Guess one would seem to expect devastatingly, slow brooding, sad music behind deeply heartfelt and emotional lyrics. What listeners actually get is twinkly, upbeat and, dare I say it, almost happy music behind deeply heartfelt and emotional lyrics.
While this is just a smallest of introductions that a band could make with a four track debut clocking in at just under 11 minutes, Guest House manages to perfectly blend catchy songwriting with melancholy lyricism, making for an ep that is simultaneously fun and difficult. “Arbor Day” is the perfect example of this, with copious amounts of woahs and ohs coupled with winding bright guitar riffs and an insanely catchy hook, all the while containing deeply personal, if not a little clichéd, lyrical content. Album closer “Brave” invokes the sole use of harsh vocals to be found and even goes so far as to incorporate an almost post-rock aspect to finish the both the track the ep itself.
In a day an age in which there seems to be emotional bands popping up out of the word work left and right, it is uncommon to find a band that gets it right on their first go around. This is a debut that Perfectly encompasses the best of what a reenergized emo genre has to offer, and although
I’ll Get Over It I Guess” may be too small of a sampling to know for sure if Guest House is a band that will continue to turn heads the rest of their career, this release is definitely worth more than the little praise it has been garnering.
