An EP Release from Reid Etter Delivers Plenty of Story
An EP release from Reid Etter delivers cinematic but welcoming folk rock soundscape and approach with songs that tell stories and those lyrics are huge part of what ends up pulling you into the songs and getting you attached to them however, there's also such lush soundscapes and plenty of rock backbone that gets put out there as well.
The Chicago EP comes in with a very unique track and one of the best on the record if you ask me called "Princess in the Palace", which boasts a unique rhythm that is very danceable and has a little swing to it.
The track starts off clean. Acoustic guitars, vocals, it all lets you pay attention to the lyrics and the story behind the track which is pretty robust but it ends up growing into a much more intense and rocked out kind of feel with all kinds of heavier guitars and even lead guitar stuff that thickens and deepens the track in terms of its musical senses.
This was a really fun song and I was pretty blown away at how it grew into what it did from where it started.
It's also a pretty near perfect track to introduce the rest of this EP because there are certain aspects on this track that you end up hearing more of throughout the record but, this is an EP you should be listening to all the way through from start to finish.
The track that follows is called "Time", and this one, to me, hits a bit more of a '90s grungier kind of feel but it's very radio-rock also.
This is not a full-on grunge track. Like I said, it has this early 90s radio feel and approach to it with guitar tones that are spot on, nailing that aesthetic, and this is the stuff I grew up with, so I can tell you the vibe is totally nailed here.
The cool thing is, there's still stories to tell and the way he puts them together lyrically also make the songs very cinematic and that is not excluding this one.
As a matter of fact, this is one of the most cinematic feeling tracks on the record.
There is a bit of a vast or ambient kind of undertone that sort of lurks around behind the song and it gives it a more expansive kind of feel.
There's lots of great guitar work on this one and the song is arranged in such a way where it has room to breathe so the whole thing does actually feel kind of alive and breathing.
I found that quite impressive. Reid is outstanding at song arrangement in particular because a lot of these songs are put together in such a way that they take you on little musical journeys while still giving you some surprises.
This track, just like the first one, has a certain warmth to it as well, especially in the tonality of those guitars and vocals.
The vocals throughout this entire record are a huge drawing point because not only do they tell these stories very well, but they have a heart in the delivery so it almost feels like a live performance in a sense.
A lot of these songs have a strange way of putting you there in the moment.
The next track is called "Raymond Fjord", which is a song that feels more Americana because it gives off that acoustic country rhythm and tone. The aesthetic of this one has its own thing and this is what I mean by having some surprises around the corners.
I love this one too because it had a rootsy kind of feel to it and it all brings me back to why you should be listening to this record all the way through.
I feel like this release was meant to be heard as a whole.
The closing track which is the title track, "Chicago", comes through with a much heavier kind of rock approach with an edgier Style and sound coming from those guitars, but it works perfectly with the rest of the EP somehow.
I think this is because throughout the record, you get hints of that edgier rock feel and when this track comes around you're not too surprised by it but still kind of taken back by the fact that it's not folky or rootsy like the rest of them feel.
This one also brings me back to that sort of '90s rock aesthetic and it's totally nailed as well.
So, this is a record that is eclectic and shows some great diversity and a slew of influences throughout its course and I would definitely check this out if you're into that '90s rock or folk rock, singer-songwriter, or just any kind of music that tells good stories and isn't afraid to change things up.
Take a deep dive into this record when you get a chance and see what it does for you.
