When a brand new band releases an EP, it’s usually for a number of reasons. Perhaps the label wants to introduce their new artist before putting all their weight behind a full-length album, or maybe the band doesn’t have enough songs yet for anything more than an EP. But when an established band releases an EP, it usually signifies something more — they’re in experimental mode. They’re pushing their sound in a new direction, having fun in the studio and want to share this next step in their evolution with their fans.
So it goes with Sam Roberts Band, whose new EP, Counting the Days (April 18, via Paper Bag Records, you can stream it below now), picks up from where their Juno-nominated Lo-Fantasy left off, a bold record in its own right that saw the band move from beyond its rock origins to embrace rhythm, incorporating genres like electronic and funk.
Now you can add psychedelic to that list, based on the sprawling, droning, almost eight-minute long title track — “It goes on and on 'cause it has no end,” Roberts sings — and the trippy, synth-heavy take on 1969 hit "Spirit in the Sky."
Then there is "Durban Days," a poppy, acoustic ballad that sees Roberts getting nostalgic for his South African upbringing, while "Chasing the Light (guitar mix)" takes the synth-pop Lo-Fantasy album cut and turns it into an upbeat rocker.
All tracks minus "Spirit in the Sky" were produced by Youth, the same guy that deconstructed SRB’s sound and put it back together on the last album. Counting the Days incorporates everything we love about EPs. Its ambitious and experimental, but more importantly, it sounds like a band having fun.
Counting the Days will be available on special red vinyl with black and white splatter on Record Store Day (April 18). For more information go to SamRobertsBand.com.
Counting the Days tracklist
1. “Counting The Days”
2. “Broken Teeth”
3. “Spirit In The Sky”
4. “Chasing The Light (Alternate Version)”
5. “Durban Days”
Follow Jesse Kinos-Goodin on Twitter: @JesseKG