Pipjr3927’s Top 20 EP’s of 2022
20. They Are Gutting a Body of Water & A Country Western - An Insult to the Sport
The split EP of They Are Gutting a Body of Water and A Country Western meets all expectations of slacker-centric, noise-spewed and electronically tinged tracks that one can hope for. It's an all-round great project but 'The Brazil' will specifically go down as one of the most deranged songs of the year.
19. Origami Angel - re:turn
Elegant guitarwork - intricate. Ever-changing moods - quirky structures. Windswept feelings - soul searching. Keeping all these characteristics in check while remaining fun and engaging is usually left to the masters of the craft.
18. Nia Archives - Forbidden Feelingz
There's fun to be had with serious sounds. Breakbeats and bass-y feats tend to fall on the path of a downtrodden deluge. Nia Archives finds a sweetspot between sweet and sour with the Forbidden Feelingz EP.
17. Overmono - Cash Romantic
A healthy dose of your daily need for groovy yet gloomy toe-tappers. Overmono nail the sharing of brooding atmospheres and syrup-y aesthetics. Cash Romantic is a joy to step foot into.
16. English Teacher - Polyawkward
Leeds based band English Teacher release their debut EP by the name of Polyawkward. Containing a promising bunch of tracks that pull influence from other contemporary acts such as Porridge Radio, English Teacher have enough to them to pull things strongly in their favour. The wait for the debut full-length begins.
15. DJ Premier - Hip-Hop 50: Vol. 1
The first of a supposed 10-part series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop - August 11th, 1973 - comes courtesy of quite possibly the most influential figure in hip-hop behind the beat-maker/producers seat - DJ Premier. With appearances from Slick Rick, Run The Jewels and Lil' Wayne, Hip-Hop heads shouldn't pass this one by.
14. Double Virgo - Eros In The Bunker
Falling in place. Swirling in space. Double Virgo's 'Eros In the Bunker' is part-shoegaze, part-bubbly-and-brooding atmosphere. A beautiful balance of mean and meandering ensues. Check it out for a blend of sleepy and slouchy goodness.
13. Floating Points - Someone Close
Floor-fillers spearheaded by some of the most serene bleeps and bloops of the year in title track 'Someone Close' is the best way to describe Floating Point's latest EP. It drips with a beauty that can only be referred to as pure magic.
12. Greet Death - New Low
A beautiful blend of soft and sneering, Greet Death house the harshness of a shoegaze outfit with the subtlety of a slowcore ethos. 'New Low' is painfully shy but bubbles with emotion under the surface. It waits patiently for the right person to set it free.
11. Kullnes - I Think You Should Leave
The distorted and spacious soundscapes that Kullnes create are something special to my ears. Including enough influences from outside of the rock realm adds refreshing flavours to the mix. Kullnes - now functioning as a band rather than a singular person - have a lot of potential in the locker.
10. Kessler - Endless
The way that Kessler programmes his drums is second to none. Add swells of atmospheric and brooding bliss and you're on to a winner. The Endless EP delivers on many levels - the body and the soul are well and truly spoiled through this short and sweet project.
9. carter c - like all the suns and all the moons
Solid material from a future star of the lo-fi/slacker rick realm. Carter C's potential is seemingly limitless. Taking clear inspiration from the greats of the indie world, Carter C has a little bit of everything in his repertoire. The Like All the Suns EP is a shining reason as to why you need to give the Friends House Records member and collective a listen.
8. Pom Poko - This Is Our House
Sweet and sour and everything inbetween, Pom Poko sit somewhere in the middle of calming and chaotic. If there's a better band around that play with noisy textures and elements among the pop bliss, then I'm yet to discover them.
7. NewDad - Banshee
Next in line for breakthrough Irish act comes in the form of slacker sounds and reverb-laden instrumentals. Galway based band NewDad lean heavy into the aesthetic of 'down and out but the fight is worth living for'. Banshee is a brief but telling sign that they are ready for what comes their way.
6. Ben Bartley - Yesterdays Bug
A blend of shy and psychedelic splendour, Ben Bartley's 'Yesterday's Bug' EP calls on daydreams of cool warmth and long spells spent inside your own mind. Ben Bartley comes through with some of the lushest sounds and scapes of the year.
5. Parannoul - White Ceiling
The melancholic world of Parannoul finds itself well and alive through the overspill of 2021's breakthrough project 'To See the Next Part of the Dream'. Outtakes and demo's this good tend to find themselves slap bang in the middle of an official full-length release. As is the quality of Parannoul's work, this seemingly tends to not be the case. The future looks blindingly bright.
4. Weatherday & Asian Glow - Weatherglow
A captivating blend of noise pop, art rock, lo-fi tendencies and an experimental twist comes through in flying colours with the partnering of two of the finest indie/bedroom acts out there at this moment in time in 'Weatherday' and 'Asian Glow'. They're both setting high standards and high expectations for future releases. They'll meet said standards also.
3. Money s/t
Blistering riffs. Scorched earth. Sandpaper rhythms. Layer by layer it wears away. Caught in the eye of the storm you remain untouched, but everything around you comes undone, falls apart. It's hard for it not to get under your skin - if you're lucky enough to have any left....
2. Codex - I/O/T/A
I/O/T/A bridges the gap between worlds by means of subtlety. Whispering into the ether, talking to the wind. It's a brain-boggling experience that leaves an itch that cant be scratched by any other. One that manages to leave a deep and indelible impression. Codex once again manages to produce a project that finds solace in the somewhat chopped and screwed.
1. Pilotredsky - Eternal
Don't mistake the boy-ish nature of the material for anything but mastery. Something special is going on here. Pilotredsky lives in a space that is utterly his own. He rules the kingdom of carefree electronics. The Eternal EP is one to get lost in. It's something of a sonic virtual reality.