Turtlenecked - High Scores of the Heart

Turtlenecked is the Indie Rock project of Mr. Harrison Smith.  Who made his debut with the project with 2016's "Pure Plush Bone Cage".  This album, while it was short and exciting from time to time, just flew by completely without leaving any impact.  This album was OK at best, but it sounded like Turtlenecked were trying so hard to be about 6 different bands.  I did, however, sort of getting behind 2017's "Vulture".  Now, at first, I thought this was just a sort of hit and miss Synth Pop/ Art Pop project that sounded a whole lot like a watered down Of Montreal.  But quickly, Turtlenecked seemed to show that they do have a lot more going on.  There were elements of Punk, Art Rock, Indie Rock and more, clashing almost constantly.  And hell yea, this was exciting.  But at the end of the day, while I enjoyed a LOT of this album, I felt like Turtlenecked walked the line between catchy and annoying a little too closely. So Turtlenecked are back, and by the sound of this new single have really honed their sound for the more conventional.  Let's dive deeper!

    This EP starts with “Knocked Down by Another Ghost”, and this is actually a rather charming introduction.  It’s nice to hear Turtlenecked with their sound a little more focused.  This is quirky, energetic Synth Pop by the books, I can actually sort of see Of Montreal fans being into this.  But it actually has a ton of character, and since the band is focused on one sound rather than a bunch of sounds.  It’s smooth, colorful, and really fun.  It also almost has a sense of innocence, and there’s almost some Twee Pop thrown in too.  I have nothing bad to say about this one.  Now, “Underwear” on the other hand is a lot slower and much more emotional.  There’s also some seriously great synths that lead to a retro sort of atmosphere.  I have to say there’s seemingly so much character here and I can’t get enough of that.  There’s almost a timeless feel to the story being told here, almost making it come off like an old school Pop tune.  “Underwear” is a straightforward, yes charming pop tune that sticks with you.  Then we have “Milkmaids”, and I don’t know about you but I thought that intro was pretty clever with the “Picked off my Harrison” line.  Now, I absolutely love the more hulking, bulkier beat here which transfers nicely into some very dreamy Synth work.  Harrison, now what he has so much more focused has a whole lot of smooth verses on his hands.  The instrumentals continue to be very animated, and Turtlenecked just overall seems to be so much more compelling.  These tunes are a little quirky, but I love hearing that in Synth Pop.  Even that more aggressive, almost Punk very at the end comes off actually exciting.  Hell yea, this is working so far.  Then we have “To-Day” which is even more of an intense Synth jam, with one of the most urgent beats here by far.  Harrison’s vocals have reached peak campiness and are almost goofy.  But amongst this very animated tune, it actually doesn’t come off terrible.  “To-Day” may not hit me as hard as early tunes here but Turtlenecked continue to bring in tons of personality and memorable performances.

    I feel like as this EP trudges forward, it just gets weirder and more intense.  “Friends, Romans, Countryboyz “ is up next, and I really do like Harrison’s very freakish and bizarre verse here, and just how much this one really bangs.  But way too much of this one of a little too weird and a little disturbing.  I’m into some pretty weird Pop Music, but this one is just WEIRD.  There are too many effects being thrown around, and for the first time, I feel like Harrison is trying to do way too much.  And this is easily the longest tune here.  I’m just not into this one at all. Then we have “Centrefold” which is darker and more hulking.  But quickly this EP is losing me.  Harrison’s vocals have taken a downturn toward boring, and that personality just seems to have gone South entirely.  There are some interesting production choices, but compared to the first few tunes here this one sounds like a demo.  Even the bigger, more intense production isn’t holding me.  Now, at this point, the last thing I want to hear is a sort of stripped-down ballad.  But that’s what we get with “Let Me Know”, and as soon as that beat comes in this is just awkward.  All of a sudden Turtlenecked are going for a bonafide slow jam, and it just doesn’t work at all.  Harrison here sadly just sounds goofy.  Even the production which has been a savior so far is questionable.  This EP may be a step in the right direction for Turtlenecked, a big one at that, but they still have ways to go.  On the other hand, the more live instrumentation of “Christmas Songs” is actually really charming.  There’s an amateurish charm to this one.  It’s sweet and endearing, even if it’s far from the Synth Pop that they were pushing out earlier.  This is the sort of interesting experiment I want to hear from Turtlenecked. It proves that they don’t have to absolutely stick to one sound to put out a good set of tunes.  

Rating: 6.9/10

Give A Listen To: " Knocked Down by Another Ghost", "Milkmaids", "Underwear", "Christmas Songs"

Genre: Synth Pop

Overall Thoughts: While this is far from a perfect EP, this is easily the most likable set of tracks Turtlenecked have released so far.  Harrison's personality soars on this collection of Synth Pop tunes, and is more of a factor than ever now that Turtlenecked's sound is much more straightforward and focused.  There are some really weird moments here, as well as some moments that seem like Harrison is trying awkwardly to find his place.  But this is a fun little EP, and shows that with the right focus Turtlenecked can seriously start pumping out some great material.