EP Review: Control

Born in Aotearoa New Zealand, but with a new home base now set up in London, England, indie pop-rockers LA Women have just released their third EP, Control. The trio consists of Jake Schdroski, his cousin Zac Emerson, and Jesse Brown, and have released a multitude of highly popular singles, including Hurricane Lane, which has now garnered over six million streams on Spotify alone.

Of this new EP, the band said this is “their most dancefloor-ready record yet”, and “four of the five tracks are built squarely for the floor: dopamine-rush synth breakdowns, propulsive basslines and four-on-the-floor grooves”. This all sounds rather like me, so let’s dive right into Control.

Hell Of A Night paves the way for the five-track record, starting with a groove-heavy bassline over a disco beat, and rapped-sung vocals. The first-person lyrics sound like an attempt to explain away some messy behaviour after an intoxicated evening, and defusing relationship tensions. Fair enough; some of us have been there once or twice. The verses’ lyrics are delightfully rhythmic, boosting the already-high energy of the piece. Of course, the best part of Hell Of A Night is that rubbery, hyper-greasy synth sound (I don’t know synthesiser names, clearly) of the choruses and the breakdown. It’s a hell of a great track.

The EP’s namesake song Control is equally disco-adjacent and 80’s flavoured. The verses’ basslines bounce gleefully over a very dance-able four-four beat, as vocals envelop and control the choruses.

Next thing you know, an instrumental breakdown takes the reins, and broad, sweeping layers of synths (no clue what this synth effect name is either) wash over listeners as the drums pummel and power ahead. 

Packed smack-bang in the middle of the EP is a rhythm-heavy, electro-rock tale of a night out gone wrong. BYOD details a chain of events where the central characters attempt to procure some illicit substances for a party, but things go awry quickly and everyone involved gets into trouble. Sounds like some kind of short story written by Guy Ritchie, if you ask me!
The song, of course, is set to a very energising and enchanting mix of bright keyboards, rattling basslines, and brilliant falsetto choruses, like a Muse-meets-Depeche Mode hybrid.
I’m starting to get the impression that LA Women like to set dark stories against dancey, pop-rock instrumentation, and it works perfectly. BYOD is by far my favourite pick of this EP.

In an extension of juxtaposing dark lyrics against bright, pop beats, the lyrics of Moneypenny appear to describe some kind of violent altercation after a quarrel or a long-held grudge, all matched with a disco-pop instrumentation.
Or maybe it’s one big metaphor? Perhaps the melancholy of the verses, the slightly longer track-length and the deeply emotional lyrics are intentionally highlighting the complexity of a personal struggle?

Whatever it is, it’s an interesting and fun listening experience; while wanting to boogie and groove, at the same time, the vocals sing:

“Left your finger on the trigger,

Or did you forget?

Don’t you want me dead?”

Like a deep breath of fresh air, particularly after the personal tales outlined in previous tracks, We Want the Sun is a dreamy and delightful little indie ode to the end of summertime. The drums dance lightly, the guitars are eased back, the keyboards are extremely atmospheric, and the vocals echo in an almost cinematic quality.

As someone who enjoys warmer weather, I found the words of the beautiful, final refrain particularly relatable:

“We want the sun, the summer is up again.

Dreaming of love, waiting another year.”

What a brilliant new collection of songs. It’s dancey and it’s rockin’. Each track is told through a very personal narrative without wallowing in sentiment. This is where the incredible instrumentation helps direct the overall sound of each piece away from overly-sentimental to simply making listeners want to party.

For those interested in indie pop-rock that carries groove, some funk, lots of keyboards, and a myriad of synth effects (their technical names still elude me), I strongly recommend this EP. 

Check out some of their delightfully energetic music videos, and stream more of LA Women here.