If you’ve been on the internet at all in the past few months, then you’re likely familiar with content creator and musician Wilbur Soot, and the aura of mystery that surrounded his latest project, Lovejoy.
The foggy haze around the band and what it would sound like was officially removed with the drop of their first single, “One Day,” and EP Are You Alright? on May 9. It wasn’t a complete surprise, as Soot had teased new music in Twitch streams in the week leading to the release, but that didn’t stop fans and friends of the band from getting excited and causing it to trend on Twitter.
The EP as a whole breathes life back into the British indie rock genre. It’s nostalgic in the way that it feels like listening to your favorite bands for the first time all over again, but it’s new and innovative at the same time. The entire EP has clearly been carefully crafted with the intention of being performed live in a packed club, with fans up against the stage screaming the lyrics back at them. It’s high-energy, demanding the listener to bang their head and yell along.
“Taunt” opens the EP, immediately packing a punch with hard-hitting drums and horns that guide along Soot’s vocals. Soot recalls a woman scrunching her nose up at him, takes it as a taunting gesture, and (ironically) spends the rest of the song picking apart his interactions with her. He taunts her back, asking “did anybody ever say no to you?” and reminding her that people can tell she’s insecure. He and the subject of the song appear to enjoy finding what makes the other tick, even if lyrics suggest otherwise at face value.
This irony is purposeful, and likely not lost on Soot, given his past writing songs that explore the good and bad in both himself and others, as well as ones that analyze tropes and stereotypes and turn them on their head.
While “Taunt” raises the energy throughout the duration of the track, “One Day” offers some of the highest energy on the EP, with brief respites in the chorus.
The lyrics are relatable, meant to be screamed back at the band at a small show. Think along the lines of a packed house show, where fans are crowded up the basement’s stairs and practically on top of the band as they play. It’s that specific feeling of excitement and catharsis that Lovejoy has managed to bottle up and infuse into “One Day” with ease.
Life’s inconsistencies and back-and-forth mentalities are placed on center stage in “One Day”. It’s honest, filled with admissions where one faces what terrifies them, be it something rooted in themself or someone else. The repetition of “one day” narrows in on the uncertainties in life, proposing a feeling of mutual hopeless for Soot and the subject of the song, even if the instrumental is much happier than the lyrics are.
Dialing it back a notch or two, “Sex Sells” doesn’t pack a punch as much as the rest of Are You Alright?, but is still a fun listen. Unlike the rest of the EP, which would easily prompt a listener to yell back lyrics, point their finger at the band, and jump around the room, “Sex Sells” is perfect to sing along to while tapping your foot. It’s not calm by any means — Lovejoy isn’t making tunes to sway along to, let’s get make that clear, but it’s still a fun track despite being the weakest on the EP. Take “weakest” with a grain of salt though — Are You Alright? is short, but each song on the tracklist has earned its spot, and belongs there.
Wrapping up the four-song EP, “Cause for Concern” truly feels like a conclusion to Lovejoy’s first official release. The lyrics find Soot being all too willing to be the victim of whatever his subject desires. Whether they want to “kick the teeth into my head” or “suck the wind out of my breath”, it’s all the same to him. The subject’s a hypocrite, down on their luck and promising not to hurt anyone, though this promise comes across more as them trying to convince themself that’s the truth, since they always resort back to doing so anyway.
“Cause for Concern” wraps up the Are You Alright? in a way that feels cinematic. It’s dark, intense, and perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being exhausted and at one’s wits’ end. There’s no fade out, just Soot reminding the listener that there’s nothing about the situation to be concerned about before the track ends. A track like “One Day” seems like the obvious pick to end a setlist on a high note, but I’d argue that “Cause for Concern” is a track that’s designed to end a show. I can see the eventual live performance being especially intense during the final third of the song — screaming, yelling, distortion of instruments, stage lights blinking, potential moshing, you get the idea.
Are You Alright? blew any expectations I had for Lovejoy right out of the water. It’s been years since I’ve heard a record that carried the same energy as the indie scene of the early 2010’s, while still offering something innovative and creative that made it stand out. No band’s come close to recreating this very specific feeling — not sound, it’s different — in their own way and yet, Lovejoy was able to both in an EP that’s only just over twelve minutes long.
I’m impressed, simply put. Shocked, excited, fulfilled — the list of emotions could go on. Are You Alright? is the EP I’ve been searching for to remind me why I adore indie rock. Lovejoy delivered, and then some.
You can check out Are You Alright? below. If you’re into artists like Inhaler, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Two Door Cinema Club, and The Wombats, then this is a release you’re not going to want to miss.
