The Rusty Kid is a musical project belonging to Zach Andrus. He has been in bands for a long time as a drummer and recently released No Money EP.
The artist said his music in “"No Money EP" is a collection of songs that can best be described as “lo-fi surf rock meets western.” Some of the songs definitely had a surf vibe to my ears while others didn’t really seem to as much. The western reference was a little subtle (I would say there are some elements of spaghetti western) but there's certainly some garage rock and folk in there as well. “Blame the Sun” is the first song. I really loved some of the melodies buried in the song. That being said the song is extremely lo-fi. “Someday” has this clean grunge vibe going on with some folk. This is a slightly less lo-fi and and again I really liked the melodies as well as his heartfelt delivery. “The Way They Feel” is a classic surf/garage rock song while “Summertime Stomp” is a one-off sing-along. It sounded a bit like horses running from the percussive elements. “No Money” veers back into “Someday” territory but this felt very Americana infused. “Nothing Left to Give” is a bit of a downer to close but it definitely has some beauty to it. Andrus wrote these songs when times weren’t great. In all honesty I think at least 80% of the submissions I read tread a similar storyline whether it’s depression, divorce, losing a job etc. It's become clear to me that the most beautiful thing about music and art in general is often the cathartic effect it has on the artist. Going through that creative process is almost always healing in some ways and it produces art that feels very honest and pure to the listener. And that’s the way I felt about these songs. As an engineer I have to admit these songs were much more lo-fi compared to what I’m normally used to. I completely understand working with the tools you have but things like getting advice from a student who may be studying engineering can be an indispensable tool to get a second set of ears. The one thing I would love to hear next time is a bump in the engineering department even if its by as little as 20% because some of that emotion seems to be getting lost in the mix. There is a good amount of talent here especially in the songwriting. That’s the most important part. I don’t know Andrus but something tells this is just the beginning for him and a way to start anew. I’m looking forward to hearing more.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|