EP REVIEW: Everything Except Desire – William Ryan Key

WILLIAM RYAN KEY of YELLOWCARD breaks out of his previous genre constraints and presents his solo record Everything Except Desire. A blend of gentle vocals and layered electronica and calming composition, will it live up to expectation?

Kicking things off, The Swim Back is a wonderfully relaxing experience. It’s a constant sway of layers: keys over synth over beats over strings. None of them clash, but loosely glide over each other in a way that feels like a current in a river. There are times when all things harmonise at once, but just as quickly one element will ebb away and relinquish its part in the melody. Face In A Frame has more of a focused electronic centre, but with the same sensibility of keeping things light and fluid as the opening track. The gentle lyrics are weighty, without pulling you out of any sense of delight and wonder.

Brighton is a little melancholier, lamenting for something out of reach, for a thing that couldn’t be and the slight sense of loss at the thought of what could have been. With its lyrics delivered over such a textured ambient backdrop of beautiful sounds, this is a gorgeous song that resonates more and more the closer you listen. The interweaving of lyrical storytelling and the music itself pulling into a bittersweet soundscape feels like IMOGEN HEAP, and the craftsmanship of being able to effectively arrange like this is very impressive.

Heavens brings a dream pop climax to the sound, with nostalgic tones of lo-fi chords and warm, barely tangible beats tinkering away behind the shimmering synths and vocals. It’s not as heavy on the heart as its predecessor, but the record as a whole is better for it, bringing things to a slightly lighter tone again amidst WILLIAM RYAN KEY’s dreamscape. Union Chapel is a quiet finale that pulls its emotional strength in a more traditional sense, with strings and piano being the heavy lifters as the electronic elements build around them. There’s maybe a nod towards THE POSTAL SERVICE here too. As gentle and sad as the track is, its magical, wonderous layering coats the whole thing in a sense of bittersweet wistfulness.

Taking a nod from the laidback, post-psychedelic electronica of ZERO7 or AIR, Everything Except Desire sets out to colour your time spent listening in bright, magical melodies and ethereal electronica that sets this as more than just whimsical dream pop. Beautifully conceived and well executed, this slice of melancholy is just bittersweet enough to connect on a deeper level.

Rating: 7/10

Everything Except Desire is set for release on February 11th via Equal Vison/Rude Records.

Like WILLIAM RYAN KEY on Facebook.