EP REVIEW: Stew – Potato

You’ll be forgiven for wanting to listen to this debut EP from POTATO for its comical pairing of names. It’s a good tactic to draw you in, as you’re likely wondering what brand of weird this is. Turns out, Stew is surprisingly silky and sophisticated and not at all the lumpy hodgepodge brew that the name might suggest.

If you dig your rhythms experimental and immediately, deliciously off-kilter, then Roll will have you on side instantly. The rambling shuffle of the drum is so captivating, but it’s pretty hard to keep a handle on where the beginning of each bar starts. Aside from shaking your head with its fun approach to the vintage guitars and vocal reverb, you’ll be charmed by this warm and inviting track, with its little avenues of sonic adventuring like hidden places in a town you’ve never been to.

The record overall feels intimate. From the choice of guitar tones to the tapping of the drums, nothing is overbearing. A sense of earnest care and dreamlike pondering lays over each track, from the sparse loneliness of TS_1 to Alright’s lullaby melody, that would carry you through a hazy afternoon with friends in the sun, on a journey into the wild, or even just a solo coffee trip.

Of course, every record is open to interpretation, but there’s a sombreness to this stew that boils down to concentrate in Post Potato Reprise. As with all things POTATO, you won’t be struck by a hard, mean sadness, but with a soft sigh you can see the beauty in. The beat feels welcoming, the layered guitars veering into that minor road only slightly, swaying back to the compassionate tones.

Almost Gone too is surreal and weird in its approach to the call and response of the rhythm, as well as introduction of a lazy sax that almost doesn’t fit with the twinkling key of the guitars. It’s a whimsical, arty piece that maybe shouldn’t be as good as it is. While stylistically nothing like the works of JOHN LENNON or KING CRIMSON, the avant garde sense of play is very much alive in POTATO in songs like this.

The soft heart of TS_2, in its low reeds, keys humming low or singing high to balance the textures of POTATO’s most solemn track sit beautifully against final song 2k22, a lo-fi production with the guitars seemingly playing out in a wide room just around the corner from you. The fireside storytelling again has a warmth to its jazz-inclined folksiness, something magical and comforting in equal measure.

Considering the whimsy of POTATO, they have produced something very consistent and lovingly crafted in Stew. Folky, jazzy, experimental but all in soft and friendly ways that allow the EP to bloom in your consciousness and settle in your brain long after it’s finished.

Rating: 7/10

STEW is set for release on July 26th via Mookin.

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