Karl Roy – Another Day Another Life (2021)
With his debut EP Another Day Another Life, Karl Roy is shining the light on mundane suburban life. From drive-in movies to trying to keep yourself sane through the monotonous days that blend into one, he considers the world we live in and how it changes as we age. With a nod to surf rock greats and catchy emotional vocals, he showcases what he has to offer listeners while making you think about life.
Using a lo-fi vibe and relatable themes, Roy makes music that the average person can connect to and see themselves in. While this is his first EP, he has been interested in recording and releasing quality music since high school. After being inspired by his friend, he hit the studio and started creating indie rock music and developing his unique sound.
The EP opens with ‘Drive-in Fashion’ which is all about what Roy thinks an old-school drive-in movie date would be like. The melody has a touch of surf rock to it through the jangling tones of the guitar. There is a heavy hit of nostalgia in the single not only from the melody but the vocals as well. The vocals have a hazy vibe to them that makes you think of rock from days past while the harmonising vocals are all surf rock. As you listen to the song, you are thrown back in time to young love and what dates could be like in the past.
‘Another Day’ is the first of two title tracks and has a very chilled vibe to the music. While the longest track on the EP, you would never realise with the easiness of the melody. The haziness of the vocals continues but there is a completely different feeling to them on this song. Through the vocals, you are hit with that floating sense of monotony of another day in a life where everything seems to meld. The guitar riffs are wonderful as they increase the sensation of just floating through another day. There is a rather lethargic feeling to the track like those summer days when you just relax and do nothing.
The second title track is ‘Another Life’ which continues some of the emotions of the last. The music has a jangling vibe that changes the emotional impact of the track. While the last song was all warm flows, this one has an edge that makes you uneasy with the mundane existence. There is a call for something more resting in this track as well as a grasp for sanity in the monotony. In this song, you get the feeling that things are changing around you or within you causing a clash between what you are used to and what you want.
The EP comes to a close with ‘Final Bouquet’ grabs you with the drums and light jangle of the guitar. There is a return to the easy vibes with this track while there is still that darkness resting in the low levels. The higher vocals add something extra to the vibe of the song that really gets you thinking about life. This is a great way to end the EP as it eases you out of the emotions of the last song while retaining an understanding of how mundane life can become.
Karl Roy takes a look at life, the past and how things change in Another Day Another Life. Through the four tracks of the EP, you are treated to an old-school date, feeling lost in the endless days of a mundane existence and sinking into easy flows. While short, the EP offers an amazing insight into the versatility Roy offers through the different flows of each track.
