New York-based ensemble Casual Male’s sound is best epitomized by the cover of their most recent (and aptly titled) extended play, "EP": it’s a photograph of a small, tree-covered island in the middle of a verdant river valley. There’s a nostalgic, summer-y quality across the release’s five tracks, not one evocative of an overdone Californian surf-rock trope, but something more nuanced and sonically diverse that reads as a tripped-out summer spent in the Adirondacks. The crux of Casual Male’s artistry emerges in their instrumental tightness – their ability to pull off disorienting tempo shifting numbers like “Resistance,” or incorporate a discordant synthy swirl behind screaming R&B guitar riffing on “Takin’ It Easy,” keeps the entirety of the EP interesting, while walking that careful tightrope between classic and contemporary. Here’s hoping this new group continues to flesh out their vintage vision in the near future. – Connor Beckett McInerney
