The Shirts and Shoes Drop A Fresh EP
A new rock banger of an EP released from the Shirts and Shoes hits with a vivacious pop-rock energy that comes along with belting vocals and it's all riddled with character and swagger to the point where it's infectious and that the whole song not just the singing but this is just part of the fun that this record delivers.
The Episodes EP is brimming with memorable and smart rock singles with great hooks.
One of my favorite aspects about the song "Jai Alai" for example, is that guitar riff and the actual tone of it as well because it's got a little bit of grit to it and it hits with some punch so you get this edginess on top of this massive pop anthemic approach that works like a charm.
I really adore this aspect because for me it's been a little bit since I've heard a musical hook, not just a vocal hook, but a musical hook that rattles around in your brain for hours after you've listened to a song and to have that again just feels good, especially in heavy or hard rock music and you can find these throughout the EP.
I think this is because it belongs there and when we grew up listening to classic rock bands a lot of that stuff had guitar riffs and hooks all over it to the point where some of that stuff was more memorable than the hooks vocally or the course is for example.
Now having said that, this track does have a massive hook as do others on the record, it comes through super radio-friendly as well but it also gives off that harder edge like I mentioned earlier and I think the combination of those two things plus how animated the vocals feel at times, give the song so much extra character.
I also really enjoyed the energy of the EP itself because it almost feels like it was recorded live on the floor and the players were just feeding off each other's energies the entire time which lets the song breathe and have that impact that it was meant to.
Obviously, I may be wrong about the whole live on the floor thing, but even if I am, the track certainly makes you want to see this perform live simply because if the energy is captured on a recording this well then seeing it live just must be awesome.
There's also something a little bit classic about the EP, like you could hear some songs playing on the radio in the early to mid-2000s but that is because it takes a heavy rock tone, indie rock, what sound does a rock basically, and they blended into one record so that it's got this thriving feeling behind it.
What's just as fun as the EP itself is the accompanying music video for "Jai Alai" that was released with it and this also shows just enormous presence and character as people so that you get an idea of how these guys don't take themselves too seriously in a way.
I mean, they take themselves seriously as a band of course, but you can see this looseness and how they want to be animated and how they are free to create with fewer boundaries than you are used to.
I love this factor because makes everything feel so genuine and the music video added to that a lot.
This was a fun, danceable, charismatic, edgy, and memorable rock single that hit all the sweet spots that you would want and more and did it with a gusto and a vibrancy that borders on a live performance.
Dive into this EP when you can and turn it up.
We've embedded the video for "Jai Alai" below so you can check that out because it's just one of the most fun ways to listen to the song and get an idea of what's in store for the first time and make sure you remember where you heard it first.
