In an age in which trends and fads seem to be flying in and out of style faster than you can say "TIDAL," Vancouver's Adrian Teacher seems to be doing his best to keep up with a prolific streak of releases that span genres, from the punk-influenced Apollo Ghosts, to COOL TV's infectious dance-rock, to ambient electronica as Arbutus. Not one to stay with a certain style for too long, he's switching it up yet again with Sorta Hafta, the debut from his new, semi-self titled project, which merges the punk-like sensibilities of his old Apollo Ghosts outfit with a more laid-back sound.
Sorta Hafta packs many great sonic ideas into under 11 minutes of music, including string-laden folk on "Old Graffiti" and Spanish guitar on "One Thing Your Money Can't Buy," set to an undercurrent of breezy, jangling rock and filled to the brim with hooks, as is par for the course for Teacher. However, without the Ghosts' urgency, the record's brevity occasionally works to its detriment, with tracks that, while wholly pleasant, fail to make a whole lot of impact — opening cut "When Do I Get Older," for example, unsatisfyingly fades away too soon. Like a gentle wind, Sorta Hafta is nice and refreshing, but dies down quickly. Hopefully, it's a taste of more great things to come from Teacher and his myriad collaborators.
(Independent)Sorta Hafta packs many great sonic ideas into under 11 minutes of music, including string-laden folk on "Old Graffiti" and Spanish guitar on "One Thing Your Money Can't Buy," set to an undercurrent of breezy, jangling rock and filled to the brim with hooks, as is par for the course for Teacher. However, without the Ghosts' urgency, the record's brevity occasionally works to its detriment, with tracks that, while wholly pleasant, fail to make a whole lot of impact — opening cut "When Do I Get Older," for example, unsatisfyingly fades away too soon. Like a gentle wind, Sorta Hafta is nice and refreshing, but dies down quickly. Hopefully, it's a taste of more great things to come from Teacher and his myriad collaborators.
