Lovedrug - EP Part I Review

Who?

Lovedrug, known for their grasp of haunting melodies and occasionally grungy guitar-driven work that compliments the unique range of singer Michael Shepard, has started their journey into the digital EP world of 2010 with the first volume in their series of EPs.

How is it?

As someone who has previously only digested Lovedrug in small quantities, I can say with confidence this is the best way I've experienced Lovedrug's work and it is at its absolute finest. While thematically tied EPs may be a nice fashionable way to bring in the recent need for smaller, bite-sized portions in the music industry, Lovedrug has walked with their chin up and created a truly fantastic EP that not only is easy to swallow, but seems to have no overarching story to complicate or obscure the content. What it does have is "Pink Champagne", the opening track that is filled with moving bass lines that thump the track along into a chorus where Shepard's voice rings out and gives the EP an impressive start. For those who felt burned by The Sucker Punch Show and just wanted some slower Lovedrug tunes with heart-felt lyrics, "We Were Owls" gives you exactly what you want with exceptional talent. The true shining moments of this EP are that while each song isn't as polished as they could be, every song has a certain moment that calls for a windows-down, car-stereo-on-max moment that feels like it breathes fresh air into the EP every time the fear of it becoming stale arises. The lyrical content is admittedly inconsistent and makes up for the low points by shaping out the feel of the story the song is telling quite well, the smooth rhythm of "She's Disaster" being the best example as it undulates as Lovedrug paints a picture of a heartbreaking suicidal situation that is portrayed tastefully with the relentless but gentle beat of the song....full text Lovedrug is frustrating to a critic, because they’re really hard to categorize. They can wear the emo-rock mask as well as the Brit-born Coldplay-spawn personae with equal aplomb. Frontman Michael Shepard’s voice is a quivering tenor that some casual listeners can either take or leave, but the music is nothing to split opinions on—it’s strong no matter who they’re sounding like in any given song. This tour EP and forthcoming album teaser truly jumps all over the place: “American Swimming Lesson” sounds ripe for Trent Reznor to tinker with (or cover), and “Ghost By Your Side” sounds like Coldplay at their most rollicking (aka their least X&Y). Though the album teasers are delicious, the EP-only stuff is ballsy: Lovedrug somehow gets the nerve to cover Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”, and—against all solid logic—somehow manage to invert the original by redressing it as a Tori Amos-styled piano ballad while retaining every ounce of catharsis. Even the too-long closer “The Praxter” manages to walk a tightrope between Blood Brothers-infected cabaret rock and their own sense of tidal-wave guitar choruses. Though this teaser may just be foreplay for the upcoming full-length, never has foreplay felt so good....full text ‘ EP Part 1’ forms the first instalment of three self-released EPs by Ohio four-piece, Lovedrug. Having released three previous records on the popular Militia Group stable, this release represents ......full text