Easter Island

Like any good liberal island deep in a red state ― like Lexington, KY and Austin, TX ― a centrepiece university is a good way to keep the arts and culture side of things hopping. Athens, GA is no different. The city has seen to the creation of Easter Island and their debut EP, Better Things, which begs a recurring question: why do talented musicians always try to revive sounds freshly buried? Swells and valleys colouring "Proud" are the perfect example of the simple melody structures and movements that characterized that awkward post-Cobain period where everyone was either really sad or really angry, but not both anymore. While Easter Island undoubtedly represent an educated, lucid version of that Y2K mire, it sounds horribly dated. When things stop being monotonous and move onto "Into Bedrooms," clocking in at nearly six minutes, it's welcome. The track's tearful piano takes centre stage, with those damn guitars shaking things up every now and again, begging us to come back for the inevitable LP that will have way more going for it.