For a brand new duo, Surprise Party! have a killer EP on their hands. It’s an unmistakable product of the internet age where influences across time and space are compiled into a compelling framework. Take the lead single “I Know U Know”, for instance; it’s built around a deep groove topped with house-leaning percussive flair, funky guitar-work, and indie-dance vocals, all wonderfully synthesized into an ear-worm of a song. That diversity in sounds extends across tracks as the duo experiments with everything from effect-laden r&b to outright indie-pop as well.
The brainchild of two childhood friends, there’s also a personal quality to this project that’s hard to quantify in quick descriptors. The lyrics lend themselves to nostalgic musings with lines like “on winter break, me and my best friends, starting up something” – they’re broad strokes, sure, but the sense of genuine reflection is there. That notion even extends to the single artwork as a filtered polaroid picture immediately conjures up a sense of longing for what was.
I just might have to go do some digging into old pictures and journals to bring back some distant memories myself.
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