[Best of 2018, Episode 1 / 5]
With 2018 drawing to a close, it’s time to look back on all the incredible pieces of music that have filled my life this year. In the first episode of this year’s review, I’ll be looking at the very best short albums, or EPs, that I’ve discovered this year. With little scope for a larger, ambitious narrative arc or developed theme as seen in many of the best albums, the most enjoyable EPs focus on a collection of solid singles, with the very best artists throwing in a EP-wide lyrical theme or an intuitively fitting closer. Here’s my top four outstanding EPs discovered this year:
4. School Spirit
| Artist | fredo disco |
| Released | 29 September 2017 |
| Plays (time) | 23 (59:29) |
| Undertone rating | 4/5 |
In 2018 I’ve grown a liking to music that doesn’t take itself too seriously, particularly in the latter half of the year, which made fredo disco’s School Spirit a welcome discovery in October. The feel of the album is set out clearly in the loveable opener Shower Song: fredo (real name Fredo Fosco) playfully reacts to a breakup, featuring a happily chugging acoustic guitar and an even happier kazoo solo. The rest of the album is also entirely acoustic, with a cajon completing the instrumentation on most tracks. In classic modern emo style, Fosco muses on the struggles of school life and the relationships that surround it. It may seem like challenge to get through 20 minutes of songs largely with the exact same timbre and instrumentation, but Fosco smartly keeps things interesting with excellently-written lyrics, shown at their best on the closer 48 Hours. It’s such an intensely personal song that listening to it feels as if you’re rudely intruding on Fosco’s turbulent relationships. Whilst everything about fredo disco may seem on the surface light-hearted and fun, there is a far more serious and dark side to Fosco shown most obviously in the potent closing lyrics: “48 hours of sadness / Some anger thrown in there too / When I wake up in the morning / I won’t hear from you”. Fosco may not have a lot of experience or fancy instruments to work with, but he’s none the less produced a powerful work of art. For me, that’s incredibly inspirational.
3. She’s a Riot
| Artist | The Jungle Giants |
| Released | 26 June 2012 |
| Plays (time) | 112 (6:51:09) |
| Undertone rating | 4/5 |
Australian indie alternative band The Jungle Giants’ debut EP is full of songs that feel like they were designed for summer. Sunny guitar riffs and the lightweight vocals of Sam Hales are on fully display throughout, resulting in an EP that may remind Undertone readers of The Greeting Committee’s This Is It in it’s homegrown bounce. She’s a Riot is delightful in it’s simplicity, with the debutantes understandably sticking to the standard lineup of instruments to produce an assured and cohesive five tracks. In terms of track listing, there is of course one outstanding track; the eponymous opener is absolutely stunning. Packing enough summer energy to keep you smiling until Christmas, as well as a barrage of great hooks and guitar riffs, The Jungle Giants have reached heights most bands can only dream of in their very first single. In some ways, the rest of the EP feels doomed to suffer in the wake of the impeccable opener, but the follow-up – Don’t Know What Else To Do – is still enjoyable, with the band wandering more towards rock in the chorus. You’ve Got Something is arguably the EP’s most ambitious track, but TJG pull it off with a massive chorus and a spectacular solo drum fill to suit. Way Back When similarly explodes into a rock-infused fury before its sombre conclusion. All in all, She’s a Riot is an impressive album for a band just starting out, and TJG predictably went on to produce more cracking songs, particularly with 2017’s Feel the Way I Do and Used To Be In Love.
2. dont smile at me
| Artist | Billie Eilish |
| Released | 11 August 2017 |
| Plays (time) | 149 (7:45:07) |
| Undertone rating | 4.5/5 |
17 year old Billie Eilish’s popularity has been exploding since the release of her brilliant debut EP last year and, having discovered her in June, highlights from the EP like my boy and bellyache went on to define my summer. The bombastic opener COPYCAT will either entice or turn away new listeners with it’s pile-driving bass, but the cheeky middle eight was enough to get me hooked on Eilish. It’s just one of many memorable moments in dont smile at me, which include the plot twist in my boy and the lyrical tricks played at the start of bellyache. Despite the heavily electronic production and even Eilish’s suggestion to “trip over a knife” at the apex of my boy, there’s no doubt that the most shocking aspect of this EP is the incredible lyrics. Each song delights with wit, character and, in more heartfelt tracks like idontwannabeyouanymore, a deeply personal feel. Eilish displays her conflicted emotions in remarkable clarity and the listener finishes the album with what feels like deep understanding of the up-and-coming American pop superstar’s more personal feelings. As a debut EP, this is a thrilling introduction to Eilish, and the most exciting part is that this is just the start what promises to be a long and successful career.
1. A Constant State of Ohio
| Artist | Lincoln |
| Released | 27 January 2017 |
| Plays (time) | 95 (5:41:54) |
| Undertone rating | 5/5 |
Cincinnati multi-instrumentalist Lincoln Lutz has what some may call a legendary status. After releasing his first five tracks in the form of A Constant State of Ohio, he’s released nothing since, and hasn’t posted on social media in nearly a year. His absence from music making serves to make his sole release all the more astonishing, because make no mistake: this EP is astonishing. Never before have I happily sat down for 20 minutes to do nothing but listen to an EP from top to bottom. A Constant State of Ohio changed all that. Like Eilish’s COPYCAT, the opener – Saint Bernard – is enough to put off first time listeners, but those who move on to other artists miss out on a relentlessly good five songs. Smokey Eyes serves as the lead single, with its spectacular drumming and dramatic piano break. The band’s re-entry is enough to give me goosebumps every time I listen. With little time to recover, Lincoln gets cracking with Banks, an even more ambitious track with equally powerful effect. Lincoln once again ingeniously uses his own song structure, diverting to a head-pumping firework display of thrashing guitars and drums once the first two choruses are up. It’s a truly thrilling four minutes of rock. How I Survied Bobby Mackey’s Personal Hell has a more classic rock feel, and will appeal to fans of hook-driven rock bands like DREAMERS, Surfer Blood and the Vaccines. Downhill follows and deserves a much larger album to serve it’s purpose as closer. Lincoln shows his softer side for the only time in the EP, with accompanying strings and a tinkling piano. The contrasting ending is a brilliant, unexpected twist, with the energy to get you jumping and the poignancy to induce tears.
But A Constant State of Ohio isn’t just about the music itself – Lincoln’s lyrics are incredible on all tracks. The lines roll off the tongue like carefully crafted poetry, each with their own multi-layered meaning. Take Banks for example, where Lincoln begins by describing a gunfight and a failing relationship with staggering dexterity. He even has the self-awareness to mention how strange opening up in the EP is: “I want to send you a signal that reaches only the ears / Of young disenfranchised straight white boys / Because that would feel normal”. Lincoln goes on to compare his relationship to money-hungry banks before finishing with a masterstroke by mentioning the bullets that begin the song. Such incredible depth in one song gives Banks likely the best-written lyrics I’ve ever heard, and the lyrical standard is similar on other tracks in the EP, particularly Smokey Eyes.
Will Lincoln ever make his legendary return? It feels more and more unlikely as his EP grows older, giving A Constant State of Ohio the feel of something precious, to be savoured and cherished. Whilst Lincoln’s current lack of music making is devastating considering the quality of this EP, it means that Ohio is a beautiful secret. Even if Lincoln were to eventually make his unexpected return, nothing will take away from the magic in these five songs.
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