#garth.

Something I love in music today is how a lot of bands have their own little “universes,” pretty much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because each member might have their own project, so you have tons of different bands that intersect. Hell, maybe even members of the original band might join a different, well-established band, especially if their original band broke up. Dudes like Jonny Craig, Kurt Travis, and Tilian Pearson, all of whom were (or in the case of Pearson, are) in Dance Gavin Dance, have tons of bands and projects to get into, whether it’s solo stuff or side projects. Most people come across these other projects after they listen to the original band or whatever, but sometimes I find the solo material first. That’s what happened when I came across a mysterious project called Human Nature by an artist named Garth. That’s it. Garth. I wonder how many times he’s heard someone make a joke about Wayne’s World. I’m too high-brow for that, so I won’t entertain that idea, but I was very intrigued by the cover art, the album art, and just the overall aesthetic of the record. I was also curious about the description, because Garth was talking about being influenced by 70s soul, 80s new wave, and 90s R&B, all of which are things that I really love. Out of those decades, those are probably my styles of music from each one (I mean, I also really love 70s hard-rock / blues-rock, and I do love me some 80s glam metal, traditional heavy metal, and late-80s death metal, as well as 90s death metal, but I do love a lot of 70s soul / funk, 80s new wave, and 90s R&B, so it works), and that made me insanely curious about the project. It didn’t seem very long, too, only around 28 minutes, because there are only eight songs on it. I downloaded it, and while I was listening to it, I noticed that on his Facebook page, he’s the frontman of a band called The Rooks. They’re an indie-soul band, as they call themselves, so I went to listen to a track from their debut EP, 2015’s Wires.

They’re a really creative, interesting, and unique band, and the whole EP is worth listening to. I don’t want to review the whole thing, just because there’s not much to really say with it. I mean, it’s great, but that’s all you need to know – it’s a short, quick, and unique EP that blends indie-rock with soul music. It’s done incredibly well, and it’s one of the biggest surprises I’ve come across in awhile. They have a new album in the works, too, so I can’t wait for that. In the meantime, let’s talk about Garth’s Human Nature, and I wanted to talk about this more so, because there is more to talk about with this record, because it spans a lot of styles, ideas, and genres. If you want my thoughts on it briefly and quickly, it’s fantastic. This is a fantastic album that blends so many retro styles in a way that feels modern, fresh, and interesting. The only downside that I’d argue it has is that it’s a bit scattershot with its overall sound, but that’s not a terrible thing, because it’s really short. It’s only 28 minutes, like I said, so it’s not that long whatsoever. To get into specifics, however, there are a few things that I really love about this record, and we have to talk about Garth himself. He’s got one of the most amazing, beautiful, fantastic, and wonderful voices I’ve heard in a long, long time. His voice is gorgeous, and even if you’re not into the album itself, you have to admit that his voice is flawless. On pretty much every track, he shines beautifully. Listen to these hooks, as well as the melodies, because he knocks it out of the park every time. I’m shocked he’s not bigger, because he’s got a fantastic voice that uses very well. The lyrics on this thing are very well-done, too, as they’re nothing necessarily new or groundbreaking, but in the same vein as Hayley Kiyoko’s debut album, they’re very relatable, so anyone can really apply them to their own lives. The only guest spot this album has is rapper Watsky on the title track, which is a really weird choice, but he’s not horrible. He’s not that great, but he doesn’t actively make the song worse. His feature’s very short, but it’s such an odd pairing, because I’ve always been under the impression he’s a comedic rapper.