Image source: Official artwork
Most people would know Michael Grubbs, AKA Wakey!Wakey! as the brains behind the One Tree Hill favourite “War Sweater” or from his time as struggling musician/bartender on the seventh season of the popular TV show.
Grubbs is back with a brand new EP, “Salvation“, an eleven-track album released four-years after their previous effort “Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You”. The EP begins with “All It Takes a Little Love“, the latest single released from the album. It’s uplifting, with toe-tapping tribal drumming and melodic whistling. With beautiful gospel backing on the chorus it carries a beat a lot like OneRepublic’s “Love Runs Out” and is an excellent choice for an opening song. This is followed by “Through The Night“, which directly contrasts the opening track with heavily synthasized opening lyrics and a twilight-esque melody. A lot more pop-y than his previous material, with easy to sing ‘oh-e-oh‘ repitition at the end of the chorus
Next up is “Stop The World“, a sweet track with lots of repetition – a good effort but just feels a lot like a filler track. “Wake Up (Lily, I Love You…)” is next, and once again, lots of synthasisation and a repetitive lyrics such as: “Don’t let me wake up without you” and “I don’t wanna wake up“. Easy to follow with a almost hypnotic beat that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. His voice, in this track particularly, reminds me of an old school Hellogoodbye. This is followed by “I Like You” and is yet another repetitive track (Seriously, the words “I like you” are repeated 13 times before the first verse begins!). It’s quite a sentimental track dedicated to a special someone, but definitely one of the weakest on the EP. Next up is “Nothing’s Cool“, the first track on the EP that shows off an inkling of Grubbs’ incredible vocal range, however this is still limited to a few falcettos. I’m not the greatest fan of this track either as it seems to merge into the previous track a little too well.
“Anhedonia” finally brings back the iconic piano, and about time too! Although the synths still play a part, this is the closest to Grubbs’ old material. His voice is flawless – raw yet understated and is easily the best on the album.This is followed by “Waste Away“. From the opening lyrics “I’m done“, this track has an almost euphoric feel to it and is a welcomed contrasts from the sticattoed lyrics of the previous songs.”Always and Forever” follows on from this, which is yet another filler track. It’s easy on the ears with a chant-y chorus but can be easily overlooked with stronger songs. Next up comes the EP’s title track “Salvation“, which essentially explains the reasoning behind his song choices and general direction of the album. Grubb’s has previously said he didn’t want to write any more ‘dark’ material for this album – with this track confirming that statement. As he breaks into the lyrics “Salvation comes like a light turned on“, you can’t resists tapping your feet to easily the most upbeat song on the album. Delightfully cheery and optimistic, its certainly different to what would be expected of the singer.
The EP ends with “Homeland“, an excellent choice. It ties the entire EP together well, leaving the listener on a high, screaming the last “Whoa-oh” at the top of their lungs. As a fan of his previous work, the direction taken with this EP is entirely different and almost hard to wrap your head around. However, with the release date of his previous album being 2010 it’s understandable his music will progress and adapt with the alternative pop genre. Unlike his previous tracks, there aren’t many lyrically complex tracks on this album – simply a compilation of easy to follow beats and repetitive lyrics that can be sung back easily by a crowd. A great effort with beautiful vocals and catchy beats – it’ll just take all the One Tree Hill fans out there a while to get used to it.
“Salvation” is available to pre-order now and will be released on July 21.
