bobby cleveland - You Look Just Like Bobby Cleveland: The EP

Bobby Cleveland

You Look Just Like Bobby Cleveland: The EP
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Jerrica Tisdale

In 2013, British Columbia guitarists Ashley McKenzie and Chris McCormac formed the band Bobby Cleveland. A year later, drummer Rob Simpson and bassist Brandon Donovan joined. Bobby Cleveland blends alternative rock with hints of grunge, popand punk. In 2014 they released their first EP You Look Just Like Bobby Cleveland. The band's sound and EP takes inspiration from artists like Airborne Toxic Event, Grouplove, Delta Spirit, The Kopecky Family Band and The Refreshments. 

The You Look Just Like Bobby Cleveland EP is powered by organic grooves, which set an atmosphere that mimics a live performance. Bobby Cleveland's quirks and passion really make the album feel like a performance straight out of your garage.

Bobby Cleveland's entire EP works as a four-track saga. It shares all the ups and downs of life and love for the characters in You Look Just Like Bobby Cleveland. Every track opens a new chapter in the album. In "Happy Ending" to experience life, lovers part, but hope to return to one another again. "The Breakdown" tells the story of an unfulfilled life, one where the dreams don't match the reality. "Take Me Away" represents the need to escape and start over. "Heartbreak and Neon Lights" tells a story of dreams corrupted by reality, danger and loneliness. The tracks are poetry in motion. 

Intense guitar strokes and heart-pumping drumming accompany the tracks. This is not a modest album with subtle beats, but roaring ones. This works in Bobby Cleveland's favor, because it helps build the excitement with it. The changing vocals add to the un-predictableness of the EP, and give it character. 

You Look Just Like Bobby Cleveland takes listeners on a challenging and emotional journey with the instruments and song themes. Tracks like "Heartbreak and Neon Lights” and "Happy Ending" leave a hard-to-forget delightful after-taste. The drive and charm of the whole album makes it a worthy listen. 

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