Late At Night – Philadelphia’s Slowsie’s Debut EP

Late At Night – Philadelphia’s Slowsie’s Debut EP

By Kelly Liu

Philadelphia-based band Slowsie, fronted by singer-songwriter Mike Pearson, released their debut EP Friday, July 10th. Bookended by evocative track titles “Melatonin” and “Bedbugs,” Late at Night is a five-piece collection that vibrates with subtlety and cool, heartfelt late-night portraits and unabashed West Coast playfulness. It simultaneously marks time in its specificities (“2AM I couldn’t think of better company”; “Sleeping in until 1PM”) and holds it in suspense, as a surrealist late night stretches into early morning while lush vocals, rhythm, and groove keep perfect company.

“Melatonin” opens with a rock-infused, dreamy guitar intro, followed by a switch-up into a catchy, surf rock rhythm. The track is accentuated with crashes in the chorus and a distorted finish, while the lyrics span from effortless, monosyllabic charm (“I just take a sec / to catch my breath”) to plucky, heartfelt confession: “And the mood just ain’t right / when I’m feeling so tense.” “Sunrise,” on the other hand, leans into indie rock more fully, with smooth vocal harmonies that mark the song with a sweet allure, likening the folksiness of M. Ward.

The third track on the EP, “Late at Night,” features a slick bass line and jazzy tones, offering up a whimsical earnestness in jabs at the obvious, from lyrical responses like “And you would like to know / where we stand / but I’m laying down now, don’t you know?” to the more straightforward “Do what you gotta do my love / do what you gotta do.” Similarly romantic, penultimate song “Vanilla Bean” is a slower, more explicitly jazzy ode; Pearson’s voice drifts in and out of focus, accompanied by soft guitar harmonies. Clocking at five minutes, the song reverberates throughout and never tires.

“Bedbugs” closes out the EP as a standout, fusing a power pop guitar intro with Pearson’s honeyed vocals. Lamenting that “Everything I’ve ever owned / it always breaks,” “Bedbugs” offers up the most honest and sincere of admissions, abandoning earlier hints of frivolity. Notes of the sentimental and melodramatic creep in, yet they do not become self-indulgent or mawkish — somehow, Slowsie is able to cultivate a sound that straddles the warm and the cool, sing about the doubts that come after dark with zest. If Late at Night is about insomnia, it is also about the emotions, thoughts, and dialogues that take place in lieu of sleep, in cinematic vignettes and narration that will keep us, the listeners, awake with it.

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Also from author Kelly Liu:  A Conversation With Mini Trees: Music, Identity, and Relationality