New Whatever Brains EP, Triangle tour

The 4th EP from Raleigh’s Whatever Brains finds the band setting the bar higher than the efforts made on their previous EP,Nesting.  The songwriting has been consistent throughout their existence, but this EP jumps out at the gate because of the production.  Whatever Brains have recorded the majority of their releases and they have steadily improved upon capturing their sound.  Hopefully it won’t be too long before they take a leap into LP-Land, as I think Rapper’s Delight II is the apex of their EP making, but that will not stop them from sticking to the 7” format.

The EP opens with the title track.  If you are familiar with their previous efforts, the songwriting style will come as no surprise.  However, the production stands out immediately.  Dry guitar, dry snare, dry vocals, but not dry in a bad way – it’s more by design.  As soon as the chorus kicks in, the low end and everything else soak the speakers with their patented warped sense of pop music.  The song finishes with a rinse of distorted cacophonous sound.  They squeeze in “Village Sewer”, and ode to that gnarly blobbish life form found under Cameron Village.  It’s a quick exercise on the ears before the last track “What Makes a Man Make ‘What Makes a Man Start Fires’?”  The dark-twangy intro echoes the Country Teasers, their go-to influence.  The song builds up slowly, lyrically asking its questions why you ask yourself “How loud are these guys going to get?”  It eventually comes, pausing to pace itself, before the last 30 seconds spell doom for all.  The keyboard/digital distortion sounds are the only unfamiliar element here.  The overall execution really shows what this band is capable of and why so many people have gravitated towards the niche they’ve carved for themselves. 

Whatever Brains are starting their fall off with 3 shows with their tight dawgs, The Super Vacations within the Triangle.  They hit up Raleigh on Saturday, September 25th, along with The Light Pines at Kings.  Starts at 10pm, $6 gets you in.

(Full Disclosure: I played with Whatever Brains on their first 2 EPs.  These songs are completely new to me, so I’ve tried to be unbiased as possible.  Thanks.)

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