Its rare that youll find Bandcamp EPs from new groups that sound as fully-formed as Sick/Seas Oh Ship. Charisma runs a long way in the music world, and Sick/Seas lead singer, Audrey Scott, coquettishly navigates through these five short pop songs like a hybrid of Camera Obscuras Tracyanne Campbell and Combustible Edisons Miss Lily Banquette. While her vocal is the trios most prominent weapon, the instrumentals are tightly constructed and surprisingly well-executed. Its an impressively professional affair, if not particularly multi-faceted.
The EP leads off with Campers Combo, a sweet number that stops short of becoming too sugary; Scott sings about making the best of a crummy camping trip over a shuffling beat and goo-ily echoing surf guitar. Its hardly weighty subject matter, but it matches the light tone in a pleasantly uplifting fashion. Muted brass ushers in the loungey Talking Doormat, and some pangs of loneliness seep out in For the Holidays, but these more heartsick moments are somewhat undermined by their mostly-upbeat backing. Even the kiss-off number Convenient sounds far more sanguine than angry with its playfully jazzy bassline. Its all quite pleasant, but the EP shies away from showing any other emotion than chipper.
As charming as it is, Oh Ship is not the most gravid release, breezing by at such a lightfooted pace. Theres little here to really sink you in as far as depth goes, but that should be easily rectified if and when these three compile a wider variety of songs for a full-length. (Once you listen to it, youll be eager to hear her take on something deeper.) As an EP, its absolutely worth sampling; while it probably wont hook you for more than a handful of listens, it should earn the band a spot on your radar for their future releases.
Essential Songs: Campers Combo