brightener: make real friends EP

So… you’ve been hounding FrostClick for some collegiate pop-rock. Well, here it is:

Give brightener’s latest EP, make real friends, a spin. (The lowercased names were deliberately done, for some needed deviance, what else.) As the moniker of Will Sturgeon, the EP is the result of his post-college break – a vacation, if you will – attributing to the chill vibe of the four-track collection.

Jumpstarting the fun is the opening track “Echoes”, whose rhythm and vocals reminds us of early Weezer stuff. It even has a “Taylor Swift-style break” (in the vein of ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’) before the final round of chorus – it was good while it lasted.

“Bahamas”, the follow-up song, is another equally-impressive entry. Recounting an encounter with a girl, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t feel the sand in your toes too with its sweeping light melodies.

A favourite comes in the form of the funny “Make Real Friends”. With lyrics such as “we can drink at houses where we don’t know anyone, and grumble why we got no friends”, we’re loving this geek-tinged indie rock more and more.

No self-respecting ‘indie-ateur’ won’t pay homage to the 90’s. In the aptly-titled “In The 90’s”, his references of Topanga, frosted tips, and ripped blue jeans sails us favourably to that dearly-missed era without, well, harrowing any pain.

This is the “brightener” that your playlist seriously needs.

Track listing: