Orbit To Leslie’s latest EP, Preppy Spooky, delightfully veers off course from their previous work. Their former releases featured space-age, surf rock, but the band’s recent venture crash lands on the Moon’s lonesome reality where the group is stranded to piece together what’s left of their equipment to record some lo-fi tracks. The five-song album coats prior sounds in a gothic veneer, upbeat optimism maturing into wizened nostalgia.
Setting the tone is opener, “Stop Drop And Roll”- casual ambience, a steadily tapping drum, and bluesy guitar riffs move through a dense fog of unrequited love. Rather than the typically cheerful yearning found in similar mid-century styling, doo-wop takes on the darker shade of “doom-wop” (a term coined by rock outfit Mister Heavenly). Just like the recovery stages of love lost, the track shifts from melancholy reminiscence to determined possibility. Using the all-instrumental “Ballad of Shortie Smalls,” Orbit To Leslie forces the pace, surging on heavy drums and a deep bass line. This sets the stage for the EP’s standout “KCKC” and its growling waves of surf rock. Both tunes pump blood into the band’s already impressive instrumentals; each individual piece folding into the whole with a slow simmer of raw aggression. The following track is the after-effects of emotions boiled over, a psychedelic daze aptly titled “Saturn Files.” Contrasting percussion accompanies stark strums on guitar and bass, all of which play out in off-kilter rhythms, cycling back into a doom-wop state on the final song, “Straight Thru The Night.”
Despite its brevity in length, Preppy Spooky manages to take listeners through the full cycle of moving on and the honesty in regressing back to square one. Amongst the ups and downs, Orbit To Leslie’s acquired nonchalance stood constant: the album’s greatest asset. Personified in frontman Chris Woods’ echoing vocals, there isn’t an unconcern for the music but in its resulting emotional conveyance. The group performs their EP’s structured musical foundation without a ceiling, allowing the music to evolve organically as each song progresses. It’s this ability to let loose of their grip that adds volumes to the mere five tracks of Preppy Spooky. – Shaylin O’Connell
