by Jason

Fall. When the summer heat is beat back by blustery winds and shorter days. When the night throws its long shadow across the land. Winter rests on the horizon, waiting to nip at our noses. Some would say that this is a melancholy time, a foreboding of a bleak landscape, yet there is something more here. The trees turn brilliant colors as they shed life from their limbs, as if gleefully decorating the countryside for a party, and children ache for the day they are aloud to ask strangers for candy. Fireplaces, hot chocolate, and the coming of Christmas are in the air, a paradox of sorts, which brings on a mixing of impending gloom and joyous revelry. This is what Loquat produces: joyous melody and pop riches mixed with lyrics that reminisce more about the melancholy parts of life.

The “Swingset Chain,” a track included on their Penny Drop EP, seems to be an untouched track minus the exclusion of the first two-seconds of the song. Although this is so, Loquat has included a brilliant six-minute remix of the track that you would expect to hear in a thriving dance club. It is a fast tempo remix with driving beats that thump for the first two minutes. The genius behind the song truly begins when that two minute mark passes. The chorus of the song kicks in and Kylee’s voice begins to mesh with the thumping of the bass. This contrast between the constant beat and her angelic vocals creates an almost erotic flavor to the song that both breathes feeling and emotion into the electo-percussion and makes the song irresistible.

Also included on the Fall 10” are two tracks that are not on the Penny Drop EP. The first, “friend without thumbs,” reminisces about the pet and his owner’s ability to take care of his problems, while, we, as people, have to deal with what is more difficult in life. “Friend” is an up tempo song that has sprinklings of reverb guitar, more pronounced bass than their other tracks and a heavy emphasis on the snare in the percussion section. Certainly makes one think of things from a different perspective: that of the cat. The second track, “Internal Crash,” is a melancholy, slow temp track. Acoustic guitar and piano accompany Kylee’s vocals. It is plainly beautiful and, like their other songs, it is a well-written one.

Fall comes in many colors and Loquat displays them all. Although the songs on this EP feel disparate with a techno driven song along side an acoustic song and brilliant pop, the content of each song really pastes the tracts together. They may, on first listen, feel unconnected, but after multiple listens, the Fall 10” makes perfect sense. The paradox of the joyful sounds and melancholy introspections make this album a must buy.