The second wave of Simple Creatures EP’s has arrived in the fun-filled form of Everything Opposite. Taking the trash-pop saga to a different dimension, Everything Opposite is the follow up to the duo’s debut Strange Love, which witnessed this infectious weirdness come to cultivation. With dirty synthesisers and ratty guitars, paired with paramount lyricism that delved into darker territories and took the reigns of this supergroup. Ready and raring to release new material a mere six months down the line, Alex Gaskarth and Mark Hoppus, originally of All Time Low and Blink-182 fame, follow up the weirdness of EP one to EP two, taking the synth-pop sounds of Everything Opposite to an extent that stretches to super strange spaces.
Everything Opposite opens with Special, which is dominated by distortions which upon multiple listens grow to become monotonous. Beginning with a big bouncing beat, the vocal work of Mark Hoppus tackles the verses, accompanied by Alex Gaskarth taking control on the choruses, and somewhere in the midst of this synth-driven madness, the duo’s vocals come together cohesively to complement one another’s singing style.
One Little Lie is an absolute pop filled bop. Instantly injecting some punch to the chorus, Gaskarth’s vocals are guaranteed to get both fans and onlookers alike singing along, with Gaskarth confessing “If I tell myself one little lie then I think that I’ll be alright.” Alongside its happy vibe, uptempo drive and scintillating synths, One Little Lie is an infectious smash that represents Simple Creatures to a tee.
Next up, Need Me has a clingy sense of dependency driving the track’s lyrics. Needing a song to kill this headache and needing a beat to fill his soul, the Blink-182 bassist’s vulnerabilities are laid bare, before the All Time Low vocalist’s tone sweeps in on the second verse singing “I try to test your patience/To see if you run out/But there’s a spotlight calling me/That I can’t live without.” A more alt-pop swaying song with its chilled out vibe and gliding guitar guiding the way throughout, Need Me takes the tempo down two notches from the EP’s otherwise upbeat numbers.
Track four The Wolf is a sinister song that takes a fairytale-type narrative and twists it into a haunting nightmare. Sonically, the track is led by shocking synths and bombastic bass, while Simple Creatures cry out “Am I the boy who cried/Or am I the wolf?” Both instrumentally weird and lyrically wicked, The Wolf is easily the most eccentric of Everything Opposite.
NVM follows, and Hoppus and Gaskarth’s distinct tones infectiously bounce off each other, by far to the best standard on the EP. The duo’s vocals are the starring role of this song, as the pair openly explore bigger picture themes with a renewed sense of optimism. Borrowing elements from EDM, NVM the perfect party track to spin in the background of a big bash, much to the familiarity of the house party vibes the band have brought to their live set-up.
Closer Thanks, I Hate It is a guilty ear-worm. A sarcastically playful rollick, the central pillar to this track lies within its big, catchy chorus that contains raucous guitars and nuanced distortions, which continue on the experimental trail the pair have put their name to under Simple Creatures. Despite being titled Thanks, I Hate It, after multiple plays this track will leave listeners thinking the opposite, saying “Thanks, I Like It”.
An EP that’s weird, wacky and wild from start to finish, Simple Creatures’ sophomore effort puts the supergroup’s pop-punk and pop-rock day jobs aside and trades them in for some trash-pop filled fun on Everything Opposite.
8/10
Standout Tracks: One Little Lie, The Wolf, NVM, Thanks, I Hate It
For Fans Of: Chvrchs, Waterparks
Written by: Katie Conway-Flood
