know if it makes any sense, but the crunchy guitar riff and ethereal background vocals together are like that experience made into music. The softness of the intro makes way to a more head-bobbing, rocking tune. Everything about the song, from the title, to the music, to the lyrics—male vocalist/guitarist Kyle Swick sings about being “fuzzy eyed and sentimental/stupid and self-taught,” with an image of “silhouettes on pavement/Sleep every night alone”—speaks of duality, opposites and contrasts.

 

My favorite song of the EP, “Dogz,” features the female vocalist/guitarist, Deborah Hudson. She’s got this cool, don’t-give-a-fuck sound to her voice that brings you back to 90’s indie-garage rock. Around the 27 second mark (I wrote it down because I love it so much), the singer’s voice and the lead guitar riff clash together, right before a second layer of vocals sneak in. It’s a perfect moment of dissonance, and it gives me chills every time I hear it. My one and only complaint: the song is only a minute and 16 seconds long. I just want it to go on forever. Thank Technology for the repeat button.

 

The first time listening through “Cough Syrup,” all I could think about was, “what the fuck song does this sound like?” It took me about 15 more listens and a few minutes of Googling before I realized that something about the lead guitar and the vocals during the verses totally reminds me of “Hong Kong Garden” by Siouxsie and the Banshees. All throughout the song, though, you get that post-punk vibe. What gets me about this song is the ending. The bass, played expertly by Steve Valero, just rides out and fades away until all you hear is the space they recorded in. It’s one of those moments where you aren’t just listening to the band but you feel like you are where they are—you’re in their little corner of the world.

 

On the last track, “Nowhere Bound”, Gavin Caffrey counts us in on drumsticks. Swicks and Hudson go back and forth on vocals. Despite their different energies, the transitions are seamless and organic. Really, the two singers are just representing two sides of the same coin—hers chill and refined, his exclamatory and raw, but both equally indie-punk. In most of the songs, the vocals are tangled up with the instrumentation, but here they get the chance to take a step forward. It’s a nice unexpected touch within an EP full of surprising and awesome unexpected touches.

 

Wild N Soft is just Places to Hide’s first venture with record label Tiny Engines, and after listening, I’m eager to hear more of what’s to come.