Similar Kind - Faces & Places
Norwalk, Connecticut indie-pop/dream-pop outfit Similar Kind just dropped their debut EP, Faces & Places.
Similar Kind
According to Similar Kind, they are an “indie-pop band making tunes for you and your mom to listen to.”
Formed in the Tri-State area in 2017, Similar Kind is made up of Julia Breen (vocals), Ben McNamara (guitar), Even Murphy (synth, keyboards), Finn Mangan (bass), Kenny Cash (bass), and Miles Dominici (drums), except for “Over There,” which has Tyler Telesco on drums.
The band began as a few friends jamming together in a garage, and then morphed into a real band performing original songs all over the Tri-State region.
Faces & Place contains four-tracks. The first track is “Keep It Together,” riding on jangly guitars and sparkling synths, as the popping bass line and delicious fills on the drums secure the rhythm. Breen’s wonderfully crystalline voice exudes tasty exotic inflections, as glowing harmonies frame her tones.
“I thought hiding in the bathroom was something I would never / Do until I met you / You made me wanna stay in bed cuz I knew if I left that you’d be / There and I just couldn’t take that risk.”
Breen’s voice lights up the song with effulgent timbres, as glossy harmonies add illuminating textures.
“Over There” opens on strident colors flowing into a bluesy, jazz-flavored R&B tune. A teetering rhythm, tight and right, gives the tune a cool rocking motion, as Breen’s smoky, smoldering tones fill the song with sensuous hues and dripping textures, stylish and creamy.
“Seasons” blends elements of new wave, pop, and dance-lite into a contagious synthpop tune full of bright energy and soaring synths. This is my favorite track on the EP because of its surging flow of sonic pigments and shiny mood.
“Oh the flowers are growing and my eyes are glowing when I / See your face since january you've warmed me up till now / Though the seasons are changing you still drive me crazy but I / Guess that's just our thing... somehow.”
The title track features glistening tones from the synth riding skiffing guitar riffs atop a grand, almost funky, rhythm, featuring stellar syncopated drumming from Dominici. Breen’s voice lights up the song with effulgent timbres, as glossy harmonies add illuminating textures.
Faces & Places delivers exceptionally innovative melodies, avoiding any type of derivative sound. Similar Kind oozes style and substance. This is a deluxe band playing first-rate music.
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