Shooting Star EP by Owl City
Released May 15th–Universal Republic
Owl City is the synth-pop project of Minnesota native Adam Young, and his latest offering of songs shows a slight change in sound yet again. On the four songs on this EP, Young experiments with adding more dance and rock to his “indietronica” sound, but he still holds on to that certain Owl City feel.
The title track begins the album with a simple synth, but is soon replaced by a steady bass beat and a bouncy piano line as Young softly sings. The synth returns for the chorus, before all the instruments come out in a refrain that would have even the most stalwart punk or metaller humming along.
“Gold” follows in the same footsteps of “Shooting Star”, as Young experiments with adding more dance elements into his signature sound. As with the title track, the hooks are infectiously catchy, making this a perfect song for radio or long summer drives.
Next comes “Dementia” – the surprise, and highlight, of the album. First of all, this is the most rocking Owl City song yet; calm, layered verses and a huge chorus make it sound like an Owl City/Angels And Airwaves hybrid. Ironically enough, Young co-wrote the song with Tom DeLonge’s Blink-182 band mate, Mark Hoppus, who also does guest vocals on the song.
“Take It All Away” closes the EP with an electro-ballad that wraps everything up quite nicely. Lyrics like “I’m left with nothing to say / with my heart on my sleeve / Making it easy to hurt / and even harder to breathe,” are personal and relatable. That’s something notable about this EP – Young’s lyrics have always been great, but, if these tracks are any indication, he has become an even greater songwriter since his last release.
From the viral success of Fireflies to the more mature indie/electronica All Things Bright and Beautiful, Young continually develops his project’s sound. While some may see this EP—and the upcoming album—as a step back toward Top 40 pop, these four songs show that Young can write great pop music. I think that with this EP, Young has finally found the perfect place for Owl City—well-written, catchy pop with dance and rock elements that will be the guilty (or not) pleasure of a lot of people.
4/5
Tracklisting:
- Shooting Star
- Gold
- Dementia
- Take It All Away
Be on the lookout for his third full-length,The Midsummer Station, to be released on August 14th.
Follow Owl City on their networks: https://www.facebook.com/owlcity http://twitter.com/#!/owlcity http://www.owlcitymusic.com/home
songs for them to sing 