Sales - Sales EP
The Sales EP is a six-track EP from minimalist guitar pop duo Lauren Morgan (guitar/vocals) and Jordan Shih (guitar/programming). It contains one new track, four songs that the band have previously released as singles, and a remix from fellow Orlando musician, Marcel Everett, aka XXYYXX.
The new track is Getting it On: nestling comfortably in the middle of the EP, its simple mostly two-note riffs and repetition of the title in the lyric create the sense of a dazed mind, gradually coming to terms (“How could I be so wrong?”) with it, while drums come and go. It’s a beautiful highlight.
The task of opening the EP is given instead to Renee, a sweet and light song built on a simple drum track, and repeated acoustic guitar refrain. Lauren Morgan’s quirky loveable vocal sits neatly on top, setting the mood just right for the rest of the EP. Vow uses a similar template, but adds in a little fuzzy guitar to bring in a sense of decay, and to contrast with Morgan’s voice. Chinese New Year is the most urgent of the EP’s tracks, sounding like The Drums with a devil-may-care attitude.
Sales EP finishes with Toto and its XXYYXX remix; both are barely there sometimes, just the occasional glitch and a gentle background hum. The remix takes the original and bends it out of shape with effects, somehow ending up both more chilled and less relaxing at the same time.
You’ll either warm to the Sales groove, or not all - there’s not a lot of in-between ground. It works for me, though.