Review Summary: Maybe I'm not sure I'm better than this...
There’s a whole lot of emo revivalist bands going around these days, very few of which actually grab my ear in a powerful way. Enter Kayak Jones – a band I found through the equally well-named Hot Mulligan, as the two groups share members. And sure, there are similarities between the two bands’ approaches, but Kayak Jones offer something truly special. Along with their anthemic emo/pop-punk songwriting, they distinguish themselves from their peers on this three-track EP with crushingly emotional performances.
The EP opens with
12/21, a pop-punk tinged song which tackles abandonment, featuring some great energetic instrumentation that might fit on an Evan Weiss project. The lyrics here are truly heartfelt, as Vocalist Tyler Zumhof soars into his upper register on the song’s chorus:
“"I never loved you, kid
You were just too damn desperate for anyone"
Remember what you said?
"I'll be here when you sort out your head"”
As this track hits its abrupt end, the EP gives way to its centrepiece, the gut-wrenching
Matter, which might be one of my favourite emo tracks of all time. A guitar plaintively opens the track, carrying its endearing American Football style open chord tapping through the song’s duration. This gives way to Zumhof’s instantly emotive voice, cracking into mild growls as his vocal melodies waver into their peak. He delivers some truly bleak lyrics here, culminating in the song’s shattering bridge. “It should have been me”, he roars with something deeply primal. The intensity of his performances and lyrics here are a marvel, and I haven’t found anything quite this moving in the genre since The Hotelier’s
Home Like NoPlace Is There.
The EP closes with the pop-punk inspired and incredibly named
Rob Pump (Lord of the Slump). Open-book and emotional lyrics scatter themselves across this track, delivered with smooth passages and emotional cracks, as Zumhof’s voice soars comfortably yet powerfully into its impressive peak. Guitars are much more energetic than the preceding tracks here, and play excitedly over the track’s surprisingly animated basslines. Rhythm is used playfully on all instrumental fronts here all across the song’s duration, giving the song’s simple melodic and structural composition satisfying depth. With repeated cries of “Maybe I’m not sure I’m better than this” closing this track, the EP finishes with a lack of closure that makes me yearn for more to come from this group.
Kayak Jones cement themselves on this brief yet rewarding EP as a band to watch. This EP ranks among the best musical discoveries I’ve made all year, and hopefully they can turn their evident knack for songwriting and brilliant performances into an exciting LP in the future.
