Funky Soul

Small Feet’s debut album, 2015’s From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like The Ocean, “received rave reviews and the band toured both Europe and the United States”.

While working on their follow-up (to be released in early 2017) the band “revisited a few unfinished gems from the Far Enough Away… sessions to bring us the Candy Pop EP”.

Opening track, “Mirrors”, is downbeat, earnest. There’s a spirit in it, though, as if life might get better. It’s only over the one minute mark, however.

The totally contrasting “Funky Soul” is more upbeat, with what sounds like rubbery bass and jangling guitar. The vocals are softly spoken yet impassioned. A wonderful lead guitar line is almost swamped by the vocals on top of it, though. Feedback rings to a crescendo before the song proper resumes. A subsequent lead guitar line is given more space to shine.

They ponder the “Let me play”, which seems to straddle the line between downbeat and upbeat. Delicate acoustic is adjoined to excellent, heartfelt vocal harmony. Things strip back, a somehow subtle boom of the bass drum with minimal guitar underlying the vocals and letting them breathe. A late middle section steers it in another direction, bold strumming and soaring, almost choir like, vocal.

It’s all “Radio star”, which feels like a Sixties throwback in some respects, flourishes of strum announcing a simple, yet appealing, groove. Jangly guitars reappear, especially for another late middle section. Those arpeggios ring out, blending with the vocals. The track ends like the buzzing of a vinyl LP in its dying strains.