--Ada Wofford
----Released 5 March 2021
Philly singer-songwriter Brandon Richie's new EP, Nice Blinker is a blistering pop punk explosion that's over far too soon. Clocking in at just 8 minutes and 7 seconds, this 4 track EP is a sudden flash of fast, catchy pop punk. Album opener, "Eyes Are Bleeding" is a relentless track featuring maniac drums and a catchy hook. "Phlegm Ball" starts out with a slow groove before essentially telling us, "psyche!" and exploding into loud, raucous pop punk. Again, this track is super catchy. Brandon Richie has a real ear for earworms. "Why Does My House Have Bugs" changes things up with a much heavier sound and screaming vocals drenched in delay. It's not the best song on the album, but it's a fun departure and really demonstrates Richie's range as a songwriter. Album closer, "Fell Asleep In Your Car," is the standout track for me. The drumming is incredible, as is the overall production. It's a bit softer than the others, featuring a dreamy synth and call-and-response vocals. And again, it's super catchy.
When I talked to Richie about his process, he had this to say:
For Nice Blinker, I decided to tackle the entire production myself, and see how that influenced the sound and direction that I went in. All of my vocals were tracked through a Neumann TLM-103 into my SSL 2+ at home. The drums are programmed, and the bass was all tracked with a Dark Glass Microtubes 900 v2. The guitars were all done with Native Instruments Guitar Rig.
I wanted to stick to a short EP and really refine the songs I had instead of cranking out 10 tracks or something. It was important to me make the songs really diverse, and I think that’s pretty apparent when you listen through to Nice Blinker.
It's truly impressive that the drums are programmed. I thought I heard it a bit in "Eyes Are Bleeding," but in the other three tracks, it's not noticeable, especially in "Fell Asleep In Your Car." If you are a fan of pop punk in anyway, I highly suggest you check out Nice Blinker. It's fun, it's catchy, the songs are very well structured, constantly shifting from part to part but never sounding cluttered, and it's the perfect type of album to blast in your car on a nice spring day. Purchase via BandCamp and listen to "Fell Asleep In Your Car" below:
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