By Dewy D’Amore, Contributor
[777; 2018]
Rating: 5/10

Key Tracks: “Feeling Lonely”, “Sick Feeling”, “Losing You”

Norwegian indie-pop artist boy pablo has released his sophomore EP, Soy Pablo, and it’s exactly what you would expect. boy pablo seems to combine the instrumental techniques of Mac DeMarco (predominant reverb and chorus effects on the guitar and keyboard) with the quirky, edginess of the lyrics and fashion of Hobo Johnson.

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Soy Pablo and his previous EP, Roy Pablo, have a very similar sound and atmosphere. Both EPs have a chill vibe with lyrical themes about love and heartbreak. However, Soy Pablo sounds more professionally mixed and recorded. The songs sound as if they were equalized to be as polished and accessible as possible while still maintaining indie elements.

“Feeling Lonely”, the first track on the EP, starts out with a solid, catchy guitar riff intro. Then it’s lead into the verse. However, the lyrics in the verse are painfully simplistic: “I miss you so bad, the thought of you makes me sad, I’m going mad”. Not only is the rhyme scheme predictable and basic, but it lacks so much depth. It sounds like a 14-year-old trying to be deep and explain his feelings to his first ex-girlfriend. Overall, the lyrics seem like a desperate attempt at being relatable, choosing the broadest words as possible to describe loneliness.

“Sick Feeling” follows the theme of heartbreak heard throughout the EP. “What a sick, sick feeling to let you go my dear / ‘Cause I was not prepared to let you go.” This song has more of a spacy feel to it, with synth bells intertwined in the mix. Although it is the second most popular track, nothing really sticks out about it; the lyrics and instrumentation all follow the same format found throughout the rest of the EP.

“Losing You” is the most popular song, and rightfully so, as it contains the most pop-elements in the song. The track repeats the same five-note synth bell melody and the chorus over and over again. Nothing too groundbreaking. It’s hard to argue that this song captures the feeling of losing someone very important considering its upbeat feel; Perhaps it is more about trying to cope with the loss rather than the initial sadness.

Listen here: