1st Base Runner Is Again With a Gorgeous New EP and Video
After having adopted him for 2 years and thru a variety of permutations of releases, one factor we at YEDM can say about 1st Base Runner (Tim Husmann) is he by no means ceases to shock. By no means skimping on high quality, the Austin songwriter and producer has run by way of a great deal of kinds and subgenres, to not point out labels, launch buildings and distro. Now settled on his personal Souvenir Sound imprint, His newest EP Mild Roars remains to be stuffed with a great deal of surprises, completely different kinds and heavy emotion.
1st Base Runner is a kind of artists who can discover and experiment to his coronary heart’s need however nonetheless in some way have a definite core model, and that’s positively what we see on Mild Roars. Vacillating between a form of grungy model of The Cure and Tom Waits submit punk, with a heavy dose of creepy dream pop (assume post-Crystal Castles Alice Glass), this EP accommodates shock after shock for followers whereas nonetheless being unflinchingly 1st Base Runner.
The aptly named EP opener “Within the Starting” has an eerie and minimal opening earlier than heavy, theatrical drums introduce that Treatment nod with Fascination Road-model guitars and sound design. As all the time, the tough, heady vocals add a little bit of grunge or Tom Waits to the combination, and transitioning into the rather more open and organic-sounding “Pushing Away,” the Waits comparability holds extra weight for this explicit EP. The submit punk is heavy (triple pun rating!) with this monitor, the sound design open and empty and even a bit deadened within the drums, although they nonetheless have that complexity to tie into the primary tune.
But anther shock comes with “Lifeless Wooden,” as some surf rock/psychobilly peeks by way of within the guitars and form of creates a sense of driftwood, particularly when the monitor transitions from principally minimal rock to a fuller, extra digital vibe by way of some well-placed synths and sound design. 1st Base Runner has a novel manner of maintaining the EDM in his work, even when its at its most acoustic and seemingly sonically sparse, and each “Lifeless Wooden” and its successor, the frivolously pop-y “Give Up the Finish” are nice examples of this.
Mild Roars closes with the contemplative “Planter,” for which 1st Base Runner as soon as once more teamed up with artistic director Gilly Dent, who’s well-known, after all, for his work with Radiohead on the “King of Limbs” and labored on two different movies with Husmann, the animated masterpiece “Break Even” and the IMDB-worthy “Man Overboard.” Following the acoustic-morphed-electronic timeline of the monitor, the video for “Planter” begins off hyper-real, with grainy, black and white closeup pictures of Husmann. The shorts distort an increasing number of because the monitor goes on, nevertheless, transferring with the emotion of the music and lyrics. The message seems to be to be tied up in self-perception, making selections about who one needs to be each in life and within the music trade, and the emotional weight that carries. The video actually drives these factors dwelling in stark, nearly excruciating realism. An ideal visible illustration of the monitor.
The rawness of 1st Base Runner’s work allways stands out, as does his ability with model and manufacturing. Mild Roars is each a continuation of that rawness and an enlargement of it into completely different kinds and new sound design to connote even deeper and extra advanced emotions. That is presumably as a result of he feels freer to create what he needs along with his personal label and distro, or just the following step in what has already been an enchanting musical journey for this mission, however both manner Husmann’s emitional honesty and ability are as soon as once more the largest surprises for his rising viewers.
Mild Roars is out now and may be streamed on Spotify or bought on Bandcamp or the Memento Sound web site. For extra of 1st Base Runner’s movies, take a look at his YouTube channel.