Pebble Brain was released on October 14, 2021, by Lovejoy after the wide success found with their first EP, Are You Alright? Through their label, Anvil Cat, and their producer, Sam Coveney, Pebble Brain found similar success to its predecessor. The EP is intensified by its powerful instruments, such as drums and electric guitar, which are carried by the impactful voice of the lead singer, Wilbur Soot. The listener hears themes of romance, relationships, and mental health through each song which adds to the layers of the EP. Consisting of 7 songs and running for about 25 minutes, Pebble Brain packs an instrumental punch with strong vocals and meaning.

Production

Lovejoy features many different elements in their music, from the vocals of Wilbur Soot, to elaborate guitar riffs from Joe Goldsmith intertwined with Ash Kabosu’s bass playing and completed with unique drum lines from Mark Boardman. Each of these musical choices adds to the complexity of the music which helps the tracks stand out from others. For instance, the song “Concrete” has a creative and unique drumming pattern that creates space between the guitar and vocals to shine on its own. On “Perfume,” there is the presence of guitar that sings with the vocals, contributing to the overall feeling of partnership. Every track of the EP has its part that it plays perfectly to produce an entire sense of acceptance and understanding through careful construction.

Vocal Performance

After releasing multiple singles, Wilbur Soot formed the band in an attempt to broaden his musical ability and outreach. Throughout this EP, we hear strong vocals from Soot that carry the intense instrumental to a sense of harmony. Only on a few occasions is there an imbalance between the dynamics of the different components. Having a lower vocal range, Soot’s mellow tone brings out the sorrowful themes and messages of the music. His voice creates an atmosphere around the topics that make the listener feel welcomed and seen. Along with Soot’s voice, you can occasionally hear his fellow bandmates chime in like in the song, “The Fall”. These small phrases produce a contrast to Soot’s voice to keep the music interesting and fresh.

Meaning

The themes of Pebble Brain are strong and intriguing. The tracks all come together to have a major theme of relationships and how they can fall apart, but each tells a different story. The EP begins with “Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?” where the listener hears the story of a woman in a failing relationship who is being tormented by her ex. He is singing about how the current relationship mirrors her past. Later in the EP, we take an uplifting tone contrasted with depressive lyrics in “Perfume.” The narrator reminisces of past times he had with his lover and how he still smells her “perfume.” He misses her so intensely that he often finds himself falling into a depression and losing himself.

Nearing the end of the EP, “You’ll Understand When You’re Older” begins to play. This track displays a story of a woman in an abusive relationship in which she feels trapped. She puts so much pressure on herself to stay and feel loved by her partner, yet she often always feels alone. The narrator sings about his confusion as to why this woman would stay with this man and seclude herself. This track builds to the overarching message of trapping oneself in problematic situations that often fails and leaves one isolated.

Conclusion

Lovejoy created an EP that topped their prior music and created a bigger platform for them to thrive in with Pebble Brain. Soot’s vocals carry the music along with his powerful messages while the drums and electric guitar add a catchy feel. We fall into the music and are entrapped by the uplifting, yet remorseful tone. Overall, Lovejoy created a near-perfect EP with all of their elements.

Song Rankings

1. “It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless!”
2. “You’ll Understand When You’re Older”
3. “Perfume”
4. “The Fall”
5. “Concrete”
6. “Model Buses”
7. “Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?”

Strongest Track

Every song on this EP contains strong themes and creative instrumentals, however, “It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless!” shines the brightest. It’s a rendition of one of Soot’s prior solo EP, Maybe I Was Boring. A heavy drumline is smashed throughout this song which is contrasted by a calm bass. It is tied together with a unique guitar rift that carries the heartfelt vocals. Trumpets are placed perfectly throughout the song mainly in the outro which represents the intensity and complexity of the music. The story of this song is the narrator has lost the passionate love he had for his partner and feels empty. He senses as if he is in an endless cycle of depression and pain which he can’t escape from. I feel this track is the most passionate and compelling bringing the entire album to a nice closing, giving the track the title of “strongest track”.

Final Notes

As always, take the reviews as opinion pieces. Not everyone will share the same views. As for these opinions, leave them below to share your thoughts. We also suggest subscribing to our emails to keep up to date with posts. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the contact form. This will allow you to receive weekly emails of recaps. Finally, go give Pebble Brain a listen for yourself.