Puddlejumper - "New Lies"
We’ve been following Massachusetts duo Puddlejumper for most of 2020, so we’re excited that their excellent first EP, New Lies, has finally arrived. The band, which is made up of songwriter, producer, and guitarist Soleil Engin and vocalist Hannah Wilson-Black, craft pensive bedroom pop that delves into the kind of emotions that tend to set in while you’re sheltered within the confines of your bedroom. Whether it’s ruminating on loneliness, loss, or anxiety, the duo conveys these raw feelings in a way that attempts to gain perspective, but ultimately allows for healing through expression.
New Lies is flanked by two previously released singles, “Blue Glass” and “Grey and Green.” Sonically, both songs are hazy and wistful, textured with echoing guitar tones that sit evenly with spirited vocals that focus on love and separation. The four new tracks sandwiched in between them expand on the kind of intimate bedroom pop that the duo showcased on these singles, but they parse through the instrumental mist with little sonic variations that make each an intriguing listen. “TV,” like “Blue Glass,” is a dense pool of erupting guitars and soft vocals that crests and subsequently falls into the serene “Tickets,” a song characterized and navigated by its crisp and stripped-down melody. Wilson-Black sits out the next track, “2nd Street,” allowing Engin to pair various buzzing street sounds with some verbed out guitars to create an enveloping soundscape. Specifically, the instrumental track recreates the aural experience of walking down 2nd Street in Engin’s hometown of Hermosa Beach, California. The short song manages to capture what seems like a historical (and previously pretty common) experience these days: walking down a busy street while others stroll by and converse with each other. The EP’s title track, “New Lies,” sees Wilson-Black’s voice playing a central role, as the guitars and percussion sit behind her gleaming voice while she dolefully waxes nostalgic about time spent with a significant other. As the EP’s longest track, it climaxes in a stunning apex of harmonies and more resonant drumming, before settling back into a trance-like groove that gives way to the final track, “Grey and Green.”
You can purchase New Lies on Bandcamp. The EP is also available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify. Keep up with Puddlejumper by following them on Instagram.
