Last spring in our review of Dan Wythoff’s debut release, Now Departing, we said, “It can be expected that Wythoff will continue to impress, and hoped that he will deliver us with even more impressive songs.”
Now in 2010 the Mount Laurel, New Jersey singer/songwriter has done just that, releasing The Sunscreen EP, a collection of nine songs written during the summer of 2009 that are now being offered for free online. As is appropriate to the season of their creation, the tracks on this EP focus on the “exploration of love: exciting, impermanent, paralyzing, human”. Swelling with the genuinely heartfelt deliverance Wythoff introduced us to in his debut, and working once again with skilled producer Paul Sipio (Check out our review of Paul’s personal music project), The Sunscreen EP varies from the duo’s first collaboration in its slightly more simple composition. Trading the previously cymbal heavy and pop-ish sound of Now Departing for one of earthly guitar and more vocal oriented tracks, The Sunscreen EP is a wonderful example of progression. Previously likened to The Rocket Summer and Death Cab for Cutie, we’d say this new EP now puts Wythoff somewhere closer to the realms of Jason Mraz and the newly popular Matt Hires.
Opening with an organic and slightly twangy instrumental track, right off the bat The Sunscreen EP gives off a feeling of warmth only found in the summer time. It is best described as two minutes of delightfulness that we imagine appearing somewhere in our subconscious while on the first bike ride of the season. Aptly following that vibe comes “June”, with a simple, loping snare in it’s percussion, an impeccable rhyme scheme, and Wythoff summing up his take on the month for us, “I’m pale and weary/ I’ve got this theory that June is out to get me/ Because I’ve always spent summer months forgetting girls”. Cheery sounding despite its slightly cynical perspective, “June” slows down with a vocal display that justifies our previous comparison of Wythoff to Mraz, and is a fine example of the more vocal conscious focus of this EP compared to Now Departing.
Other tracks such as “Lost and Found” and “Soft Breeze” offer a folk-pop blend of twangy acoustic and snare, singing on about the loveliness of falling for someone new. “You make the sky blue/ the clouds flee the sight of you” coupled with lines about a nerve wracking first kiss and wanting to remind someone how wonderful they are makes us wish for the warm weather and summer loving that Wythoff is crooning about.
“To Be Around You” is another swoon worthy song, which like it’s album-mate “Tiny Red Balloons” is akin to the style of John Mayer, though unlike it’s fellow, is about how it feels to be in love instead of aching for it. Wythoff, in his ever well worded way, delivers us a series of personifications for ways he’d like to be able to get closer to the lucky girl in mind, tying them all together with the simply put line “Because it’s nice to be around you.” How anyone who can write such lovely things could ever be alone is beyond us, but Wythoff manages to write on both the good and bad sides of romance with much aplomb.
“Speckled Knees” is a slight derivation from the more melodic and acoustic based tracks that precede it. An instrumental track focused on rippling guitar and synchronized clapping and percussion, it gives off the sound we imagine one would get if they fused together the individual strumming and styles of Death Cab for Cutie ala The Open Door EP and Iron and Wine. Another wonderfully composed track in the same vein as “Speckled Knees” is “I was Born in the Month of Rain” which even without it’s cue in the title would make us think of a lazy day inside during a summer rain. With it’s organ-y piano and soft hi-hat, this song gets even more lovely and relaxing as Dan comes in with whispery nonsensical vocals of “ba-da-la-da-da-do”.
Finally, like a summer love and now this EP, all good things must come to an end-which is just what Wythoff sings of in his final track “Making Room”. Pulling instrumentals from the starting track “The Sunscreen” and adding lyrics, Dan sings to us about the end of romance, leaving before we’re really ready and just a little hint of bitterness, “I’m starting to feel as if you never gave a damn and we were always through”
All in all The Sunscreen EP is just what we were hoping to hear from Wtyhoff after his initial debut. Once again his work with Paul Sipio has proven fruitful, as are the contributions of bass and drums given by Andrew Roibal and Joey Stasio. We can guarantee this album will be one we pull out as the sun starts to shine and our skin starts to tan, hoping for our own summer love while we sing along to songs like “Lost and Found”, “I’ve been floating around/ I can’t wait to be found by you”
Download The Sunscreen EP for Free via Danwythoff.com
Visit Dan Wythoff Online:
Myspace
Danwythoff.com
iTunes
Facebook
