One of the coolest things about creating this blog, in my opinion, has been the opportunities I have gotten to hear awesome music from not-so-well-known artists that send me their stuff to review. If you know me, you know I’m constantly searching for new, great music that I don’t know about, so having people send me great stuff to review has been so refreshing(if you’re reading this and make music yourself, don’t be afraid to send it to me…I would love to check it out)! Last week, Instagram user @robolitious dm’ed me a link to a new project from a DIY artist called Eichlers. I am so glad that @robolitious sent me this project to listen to because it is so unique and it is so fire. Eichler’s Scene Kids is probably unlike anything that you are going to hear today. It is truly a mash-up of so many genres and sounds that don’t seem like they would be cohesive, but somehow Eichler’s makes it work. This album has elements of Hip Hop, Punk Rock, Emo Rock, Electronic Music, Metal, and Pop; even though most would assume an album like this would sound very scattered and unstructured, it actually flows so well and every song sonically makes so much sense and fits. This record is like 100 gecs meets Iglooghost meets Lil Tracy meets Pup meets Bring Me The Horizon. I swear that if you like any of those artists, there are songs on Eichlers’ Scene Kids that you will love. Eichlers’ Scene Kids is so cool and so uncommon, and it makes me very excited to see what Eichlers’ does next and excited about how the music world is progressing in general.
Cuz you don’t know the kind of pain that I’m in. Let it blow! And then we start it again… – from ‘Out For Blood,’ feat. Breakfast In Silence and Vantana Row
‘Uber Puul,’ which is the first track off of Scene Kids and features Picnics at Soap Rock, is an excellent way to start off this record, and does a great job at introducing us to the vibe and feel that this album is going to provide. I love how current the lyricism on this song is; some people would say that it is a little weird or taboo to literally be singing about sharing an Uber with someone, but this is a real-life situation that happens very often for some people so why shouldn’t people be singing about it? I also love how grand and bold the instrumental for this song is; it reminds me a lot of some of Lil Peep’s slower and more somber music, without the simple structure that most of his music had. This track is very structurally loose and it just flows in such a free way, and I really dig that because it is different from most songs in the Emo-Trap genre that you are going to hear. Even though ‘Leave When You Want 2,’ featuring AUREOLES, is not very long, it definitely packs a hell of a punch. When I first listened to this record after it was sent to me, I knew that I would be really into this record after hearing this song because it introduces to some weird production styles and vocal styles that are to come, but it is not too crazy that it would drive casual Emo-Trap fans away. This is the first song on the record where I start to get 100 gecs sort of vibes, and I am so here for it. You know how I said the last song is not very long but it packs a super huge punch? Well ‘Out For Blood,’ featuring Breakfast In Silence and Vantana Row, has that same feeling times 1,000,000. It is easy to tell right from the start that this song is going to make you want headbang until you have a migraine; the hook at the beginning of the song has so much attitude and energy, and the beeping in the background makes me want go to a metal concert and start moshing right now. The strange distortions and vocal fluctuations on this song once again give me major 100 gecs vibes, and I am so here for it. The beginning of the next song, ‘The Karma is Important’ featuring Rob Lanterman, brings me back to the pop-punk era of 2007 in such a great way. The riff and vocals remind me so much of bands like Cartel and We the Kings, and I really love that. I also really dig that trap beat that kicks in and sort of slows the tempo of the song. This song is a truly pop-punk trap track; Eichlers and Rob Lanterman are truly onto something with this song because this song is truly unique and is such an organic and natural fusion of the most popular music from the late 2000s-early 2010s.
I wanna be yours again, but I guess I’ll never learn. Take me back now. Life’s so boring. Can I get back now? Life’s so boring… – from ‘Life’s So Boring’ by Eichlers feat. Podgod68
‘Get Home Safe,’ which features Kennapenguin and Breakfast in Silence, really calms the mood and slows down the vibe and feeling that the previous few songs on the album have. Up to this point, the overall feeling of the record has been pretty emotional and intense, so the fact that this track is a lot more chill does a really solid job to provide some variety and make sure the record stays fresh. ‘Get Home Safe’ sort of sounds like what I would imagine normal R&B will sound like in 2050; I love how glitchy and futuristic sounding the instrumental and auto-tuning are. This track is another great example of how diverse the artists and producer(Eichlers) are who made this one. ‘Life’s so Boring,’ which features Podgod68, brings us back the Lil Tracy/Lil Peep vibes that a couple of songs at the beginning the song had. I really love how the melody seems to get warmer as the song goes one. It almost feels like as the track goes on, the singer is becoming more hopeful that he will be taken back by the person he is pleading to. If you love music by the artists apart of Goth Boi Clique or Neilaworld, I know that you will like this song. I love how this album never lets to settle down or get into a rut with the sound; ‘Chupstains,’ featuring Val Brown, is so unlike the couple of songs that precede it, or any other song on project period. This track a really trippy and strange production style that sort of reminds me or indie artists like Parquet Courts or Cashmere Cat and the super strange and awesome EDM artist Iglooghost. Towards the end of the song, it takes an electronic Pop-Metal vibe just brings another element of strange to the song. This track is definitely not for everyone, but if you want to hear a cool melodic song that is super glitchy and not like anything on your playlist right now, do not miss the song ‘Chupstains.’ Once again, Eichlers makes sure that this record keeps us on our toes, as once again the song ‘Don’t Even Bother,’ which features Janie Jones, reminds me of another type of music that was popular in the late 2000s-early 2010s: Screamo. This track reminds me of so much of bands like Suicide Silence or Pierce the Veil. What makes it unique, though, is the trap beat on this track. This is not like the Screamo-Trap that artists like Ghostmane or the $uicideBoy$ make, where the basis of the music is definitely hip hop, and it just has some Screamo elements. This is a straight-up early 2010s sounding Screamo track with a trap beat; I promise it is unlike any other Screamo-Trap that you have heard and it is not what you think it will be.
“Emphasize Escape,’ which features Deadskincollection, once again totally switches up the vibe and sound from the previous track. This one has a lot more of a grunge-trap vibe to it; the riff is so sludgy and chunky and it really slows down the energy and makes the mood very somber. The overall sound of the song, including the vocals, honestly reminds me a lot about the underground trap legend Bones. My favorite thing about this song is how much emotion can be felt through the vocals of this track; it is weird to say that you like the sound of the pain in someone’s voice, but it really does add a chilling element to this song. ‘The Fugue State Blues,’ which features Portal to the God Damn Blood Dimension(such an awesome band name), keeps that chilling element that the last song has; but brings it back into more of that early 2010s Screamo vibe. A lot the vocals on this song actually sounds like they are from a speech that was broadcast on the radio or something, which is definitely unsettling. It is another song that is totally cool and different. ‘Fictive Kinship,’ featuring Yuck, also has a similar sort of melancholy feel to the last few songs, albeit it in a completely different way. This track kind of psychs me out in a way because the melody is not necessarily sad, but the lyrics are kind of “fake hopeful”(it is like she is trying to be optimistic, but just does not believe her own words), and the vocal performance is honestly so sad. This is another song where the emotion put into the vocal performance makes it so awesome. Scene Kids comes to a close with the track ‘Lens Flare,’ which features A.MAP. This is another song that gives me major Lil Peep vibes. It is pretty interesting that the first song and the last song on this record give me the most traditional “Emo-Trap” vibes. My favorite thing about this track is the really pretty and sort of twangy guitar-riff that provides the melody; it such a pretty and warm riff, and gives a really nice and hopeful tone to the send-off song of this record. The chemistry between Eichlers and A.MAP is very palpable on this song, and it gives the song another very sweet and likable element. I am excited to hear these two make more music together in the future because they kill it together. ‘Lens Flare’ is a very nice and simple way to end such a cool and eclectic record.
Eichlers Scene Kids is for sure the most one of a kind album that I have heard this year; in fact, I would say that it is the most uncommon album that I have heard since 100 gecs 1000 gecs(I really love 1000 gecs and it was one of my favorite albums of 2019, so I mean this in literally the best way possible). One of the coolest things about this record is how Eichlers tried to put all of his friends on and made sure that everyone in his music scene was able to join in on the fun; all of the features add so much character and emotion and flavor to this album, and it shows off the diversity of the music scene that Eichlers is in. Once again, thank you to @robolitious for introducing me to this record, because I really enjoy it. I can not wait to see what Eichlers does next! Scene Kids is an awesome project that shows off how talented Eichlers and his peers are, and I am excited to follow what they do in the future!
EAST SIDE VIBES 