The MS natives have crafted a jubilant EP filled to the brim with stellar pop moments, which makes it all the more difficult to believe it’s their debut effort.
Surfing from the glistening shores of beach pop to the night time shine of 80s synth pop, ‘5’ navigates through a plethora of sub-pop genres with an almost mastery of each unique sound. EP opener ‘Late Night Queen’ races through mountain tunnels roaring through blurry strip lights, emerging into the glory of the summer sun through rays of guitar hooks and shimmering synth keys with an immediacy that will have you instantly hooked on this early 80’s number. Now blinded by the sun’s rays, ‘Blur’ travels towards the coast, similar to early Holy ’57, chilling/rocking out by the sand, as a day filled with careless tropical pop energy takes over for unfiltered fun.
This careless, free as a wave on a summer beach mood is consistently carried throughout ‘5’, portrayed ever so brilliantly on ‘Banana Smoothie’, a crisp, uber-cool, modern indie pop stunner that comes like a cross breeze, breaking up the dry heat of midday, cooling down for the evening. This cool air transforms into ‘Alive’, a jubilant display of light hearted enjoyment demonstrated through hypnotic waves of synth, captivated in moments that to outsiders looks like nothing, but to those involved are simply perfect.
From ‘Late Night Queen’ to ‘Undercover’ it truly cannot be stressed enough how effortlessly ‘5’ flows from branches of pop as if they’ve been doing so for years. The EP closer ‘Undercover’ acts as a final remind that Newscast are truly masters of capturing the summer spirit, bringing the joy of the hotter months with their cheery guitar riffs and glittery synths.
The MS duo have pieced together five (technically six) wondrous tracks, all of which are their very first work. An EP this strong from day one bodes tremendously well for expectations and leaves nothing but excitement for whatever is next to come.
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