It’s definitely a Monday. It’s not even 8 PM and I’m already dragging. I need something to lift me up and get me in the mood to finish this day out strong. Will Keeper’s EP ‘Guess I’m Keeper’ be the soundtrack to do that? I don’t know but let’s take a listen and find out.
“Blue-Eyes” wastes no time in jumping this six-song EP into an emotionally charged album. You can feel the weight in the words and feel the emotion come through with every syllable. This opening track definitely has an almost cloud hop vibe to it but I can hear something a bit more nostalgia hanging out in the background. The first track I heard from Keeper (“Sorry!”) stood out to me because of the blend of nostalgia and modern. Between that track and this opening track, I think it’s safe to say that this unique and powerful blend is going to be a theme throughout this EP.
Speaking of “Sorry!”, that’s the second track on this album and I was excited to hear something familiar almost right off the bat. Although it has been a couple of days since I heard this track and I have heard many since then, this track has stuck with me and has gotten a couple of listens since that fateful day it hit my inbox. There’s something very fun about the beat, something super nostalgic about the vocals, and something completely new about the overall song. Although this track had me smiling due to the infectious beat, the heartbreaking lyrics juxtapose that beat in the most dramatic way possible. This element is something that I have always loved about certain subjects of the emo scene so, naturally, this was a favorite track of mine. Also, I’m not giving away the lyrics- listen for yourself.
“FingerTips” is the next track on this EP and it replaces the super upbeat drumming and almost classic pop-punk vibe with something much more emotionally charged. This track is so powerful that I had goosebumps crawling up my arms even though it’s literally eighty degrees in my house (I refuse to turn my air conditioner on this early in the season). I found myself so captivated by both the story being told in this track and the weight of this song that, by the end of it, I felt emotionally drained. Although the heavy lyrics continued into “HomeGrown”, the beat turned closer to that of “Blue-Eyes”. It’s that hip-hop-heavy beat that all of the kids are about these days and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t starting to fall in love with it. Call it cloud hop, call it emo rap, whatever you want to call it- the way that Keeper does this sound in “HomeGrown” is perfect and it had me hooked.
A smile stretched from ear to ear as “Sulk” took over my house. Although still definitely in that cloud hop genre, there’s something a bit more pop-punk about the presentation of this track that absolutely spoke to my soul. There’s a bitterness in the words of this one that I found super apparent but not super in your face. That’s a tightrope walk that I’ve heard many artists fail before so to hear Keeper walk that rope with no issue made my heart happy just like the nostalgia made my soul happy.
“Frog” closes out this album with a vibe very similar to that of “Sorry!”. You can hear the blend of new and old that can sometimes turn into a battle but, again, Keeper has found the perfect balance. Keeper’s sound can speak to an old lady like me who is still trying to relive the early 2000’s emo scene on a daily basis to a youngster who is currently mad at their parents and is wearing all black because it matches the color of their soul. There’s a sense of accessibility to Keeper’s music that will absolutely keep me coming back for more.
My Favorite Track(s): “Sorry!”
For Fans Of: Emotionally Charged Tracks; Old school pop-punk mixed with new school cloud hop
Mosh-ability: 6 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Artie laid right next to my desk; Autumn slept upstairs
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 7 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 7 out of 10
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Check out ‘Guess I’m Keeper’ HERE!
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