One of my favorite things about running a music blog, especially one that likes to cover up and coming or independent artists, is the fact that so much awesome music gets sent my way to check out. Whether it is people supporting their friends, management teams trying to promote their artists, or the musicians reaching out themselves, it is really sweet when I receive a random Direct Message or email to check out some new music by someone I have never heard of and I end up really enjoying it. Eichlers is a really great example of this. If one of his friends, who is also a musician in the Salt Lake City Alternative scene, had not messaged me one day to check out his project Scene Kids earlier in 2020, I probably would have never found Eichlers on my own this year. When Scene Kids was sent to me, I was excited to listen to it because I love the movie SLC Punk! and I know the alternative scene in Salt Lake City is very eclectic and quirky. I am really appreciative that this album was sent to me because I really enjoy Scene Kids and it produced one of my favorite songs from 2020, which is called ‘Out For Blood’ and features Breakfast in Silence and Vantana Row(if you enjoy this review and record, please go check out my review for Scene Kids by looking it up in the search bar below). Eichlers is an artist that blends genres in a way that is not very common in the music scene. He tends to mix Ska music with EDM Punk and Emo Rock music in a way that you will not hear from many other artists. Eichler’s sound is very different and fun to listen to, and he stands out among any other Alternative artists on the rise right now. With all of that being said, here is how I feel about Eichlers’ new project i may be cute, but i’m dumb af. Please let me know in the comments below if you agree with this review, and let me know what your favorite songs on this album are as well.
Pulled up to your house and now I’m tongue-tied. When I found out what u did I swear my heart died. Line by line, time after time. I lost another friend and I don’t feel fine… – ‘talk dumb, get the thumb’
i may be cute, but i’m dumb af starts on a bit of a mild note with the song ‘talk dumb, get the thumb.’ Compared to the single that was released in anticipation of this record and compared to most of the content on his last project, this song is not very inventive or distinct. That doesn’t mean it lacks quality, though; if you are a fan of Emo-Trap music with a bit of a softer and Pop music feeling to it, this is a song you would enjoy a lot. ‘talk dumb, get the thumb’ has a riff that reminds me a lot of the more calm music by bands like Blink 182 or Simple Plan. The melody of this song reminds me a lot of songs like ‘I Miss You’ by Blink 182 or ‘Perfect’ by Simple Plan. This more melancholy tone to the track fits in with its lyricism very well. This song is about the final moments of a relationship or friendship, where Eichlers and the person being referred to in the song have come to an and are just yelling at each other at this point. The melody and overall tone of the track fit with this lyrical feeling very well, and it is a solid way to get this record started. ‘wow, rude.’ immediately takes a left turn with its sonic direction, as this song incorporates Ska music in a way that you will not hear in many other places. ‘wow, rude.’ has a fast-paced Trap beat that makes up the tempo and a Ska riff that is very reminiscent of the 90s; it is almost like a Trap R&B version of a traditional Ska song. I like how the upbeat and sweet sound of the melody contrast the lyrical tone of this track. In this song, Eichlers is singing about being with a significant other and getting anxious at a party while the significant other just wants to stay and have fun. On one hand, Eichlers is trying to encourage his partner that they will get over this anxiety and will be okay, and on the other hand, he is begging them to leave because he can not take how he feels. This feeling of trying to make everything seem okay while everything seems to be spiraling is very relatable, and it is expressed very well in this track. ‘love me forever’ is another song that changes up the sound and style from the one that precedes it. Eichlers is always keeping the listeners on their toes because each song is always stylistically pretty different from the last. ‘love me forever’ has a twangy guitar riff that almost has an Indie-Folk feeling to it and vocal styles that remind me a lot of Lil Peep. As the song progresses, the beat speeds up and gets more chaotic, taking on a glitchy quality that reminds me of 100 gecs towards the middle of it. It is definitely unlike most music that is being made today, but it still sounds very natural and cool. On ‘love me forever,’ the feelings of anxiety and lack of self-worth that are prevalent on the record so far still shine through. Eichlers the love of his life is going to leave him and is having an existential crisis about what he should do to rectify a problem that is probably non-existent in reality. The next track, ‘the bruise,’ also has an Emo-Trap feeling to it that is reminiscent of the underground music in this genre that was made popular by the Goth Boi Clique and their frequent collaborators. This song has a melancholy piano riff that has some distortion, and the vocal combined with this riff reminds me particularly a lot of Yung Lean. I like the higher-pitched vocals that come in at the end of the track because these vocals give the song a bit of a Punk edge to it. The feelings of dread and uncertainty that have made up the album so far come through on ‘the bruise’ as well. Eichlers is rejecting the fact that the people around him love him because he can not love himself in the way they say they do. These feelings are very relatable for people who have suffered from anxiety and depression, and Eichlers expresses them in such a real and honest way.
The Goth Boi Clique and Lil Peep influence and feeling keeps running strong with the song ‘pretend.’ This song has a bit more of and Emo-Rock feeling to it than the last two tracks, with the guitar riff being more prominent than it was on those other GBC style songs. ‘pretend’ has a lyrical tone that fits into that style of music, too. On ‘pretend,’ Eichlers is wishing that he could go back to a more simple time. He wishes everything was not so chaotic and sad and is just for this moment wants to imagine that things are how they used to be. ‘(party rock) anthem part two’ is not like anything I have heard on this album so far. This track has a guitar riff and overall feeling that reminds me so much of early 2000s Punk and Alternative Rock music. I could imagine this melody being on a Sum 41 or Yellowcard song back in the day. The Trap hi-hats and snares that drive the beat are pretty low key and do not take away from the early 2000s feeling too much, but do still give ‘(party rock) anthem part two’ a modern feeling to it. This track is about how Eichlers tries to mask his feelings through jokes and through messing around so he does not have to say how he feels. He hates the feeling of dread he always has and wants to pretend nothing is wrong instead of addressing the issues. ‘okay, for sure’ is a short and not so simple track that almost feels like an interlude, because it is so different from the songs that precede it and sort of shocks the system. This is a futuristic and glitchy EDM Trap cut that feels like a burst of energy. The synths and beat are distorted vocals are super auto-tuned. If you are into artists like 100 gecs, this is a song that you will enjoy. ‘okay, for sure’ is another song where the lyricism creates a major juxtaposition with the melody and tone. Over this bright and happy sounding melody, Eichlers is singing about letting his doubts to get him and deciding to leave his significant other(or friend) alone instead of trying to fix the situation. ‘text me tmrw’ is the only single that was released in anticipation for i may be cute, but i’m dumb af. This is the second song that has a Ska-Trap sound that is pretty unlike anything I have ever heard. Once again, I enjoy the sound a lot. The Trap beat on ‘text me tmrw’ is the perfect pace for the guitar riff that drives the melody, and it makes this song very fun and easy to dance to. On ‘txt me tmrw,’ it feels like all of the insecurities that have been driving Eichlers crazy on all of the previous songs are getting to him in an intense way. Eichlers does not even want to leave his apartment and socialize like a normal adult anymore because everything just gives him anxiety. I know that this feeling is relatable to so many people, and Eichlers expresses it in a very real way on this track over a Ska instrumental that still manages to keep the mood somewhat light.
Do u think, or do you just speak? Was that mean? Are you even listening? Rest your head on the steering wheel, eyes still fixed on mine. I sigh and turn my head to the right staring out the passenger side… – ‘in the car’
After how upbeat and out of the ordinary the last couple of songs were, the change of pace the next song gives us is very nice and much appreciated. ‘in the car’ once again switches up the sonic direction that the album was starting to take. It is cool how Eichlers is so good at so many styles of Alternative music and how he can incorporate so many different kinds of sounds into the same project. ‘in the car’ is like a modern version of a Postal Service song. It has the low key Indie and Synth-Pop feeling that Postal Service was known for, but still has auto-tuned vocals and a Trap beat that make it similar to music from 2020. ‘in the car’ is about a tense conversation between Eichler’s and his significant other while sitting in the car. His feelings of self-doubt shine through on this song once again, but he is trying hard to not let it ruin this relationship. Once again, the sound direction completely changes with the next song, ‘driving home.’ This song is probably the most Punk song on the record so far; in fact, the distortion used in the guitar riff gives it a late 90s post-grunge sound to it that is dirty and fun to listen to. The vocals of this song have a 90s Punk feeling to them as well, as they are kind of shouted in a way that reminds me of a mixture of Sum 41 and Black Flag(especially the non auto-tuned portions). On ‘driving home,’ it feels like Eichlers is feeling a scary level of existential dread. His suicidal thoughts come to the forefront on this track, and the super Punk tone this song has adds to that feeling in an intense way. The next track, ‘collapse’ which features Spirit Prison, brings us back into the Emo-Trap world that a lot of this album has resided in. To me, this track has the most pop sensibility out of everything on this record. It is the kind of Emo-Trap song that would resonate more with casual Hip Hop listeners, and would not necessarily just be listened to by people who are only into the more niche artists in this sub-genre. No one can compare to Juice Wrld’s vocals, but the flows used an instrumental style remind of a lot of his music. ‘collapse’ is another song that is about existential dread, and feeling like you can not even talk to those people you are supposed to be close to. It is really interesting and cool how many of these instrumentals have a melody that almost seems happy or sweet in a way and lyrics that are so sad. This record closes out with the song ‘dark clouds,’ which is a song that is kind of a combination of a few of the more prominent sounds on this record. ‘dark clouds’ has a sound that combines Pop-Punk music, Emo-Trap, and 100 Gecs style Hyper EDM; it is super distorted and grungey and is kind of a culmination of everything this album is. It may not be the easiest song on this project to listen to, but it is super interesting and it feels like an insight into who Eichlers truly is as a musician. On ‘dark clouds,’ Eichlers seems to be coming to terms with all of the things that have kept him down on the previous songs from this record. He is not necessarily over these things or okay with them, but he is making more of an effort to not let them ruin his life.
Eichlers is one of the coolest and most unique artists that I have heard in quite a while. There are not many musicians who are willing to take risks in the way he does and still able to make music that is very fun and listener-friendly in the way that he can. Eichlers takes all of the kinds of music that he liked growing up and mashes them up in a very cohesive and warm way. I can not think of any other record where you will hear, Ska, Trap, Pop, Punk, and Emo-Rock all on the same record. Eichlers is also a very relatable lyricist. He captures all of the feelings and emotions that so many people his age feel all the time very honestly. If you are looking for a new piece of music that is very eclectic and fun, Eichlers’ i may be cute, but i’m dumb af is a record that you need to listen to.
EAST SIDE VIBES 