The debut EP from Halifax “indieboi” four-piece Sleepy Kicks is packed with just as much charm as you might expect if you’re familiar with their online presence—from claiming beginnings through a blood oath to listing “jorts” as an official band component (contributed by Braden Kamermans, if you were curious).
From the very first second, Hard Left grabs you and takes off into a sprint. “Serving Money” opens with an abrupt punch of sound, driven by a steady kickdrum that only seems to build as the song goes on. The instrumentals themselves play a huge part in carrying this whole EP—it’s clear, even through a polished recording, that the band meshes well together.
The songwriting doesn’t rely on straightforward storytelling to get the message across. There’s a lot of ambiguity, with metaphors upon metaphors and punchy imagery. It gives you an idea of context, but it’s clear that all of these songs are inspired by specific moments and experiences.
Some lines, however, are so universal that there’s no mistaking them. While “Serving Money” is peppered with personal anecdotes, much like the rest of the EP, the concept of scraping a living out of waiting tables is something that hits close to home to many. It’s encapsulated in that one image of a weary waitress, summed up in the line, “She’s been here for twenty fucking years, and she hates each day but loves the pay.”
“Maria” steers things in a different direction. This track is dark and romantic, painting the titular Maria as an object of someone’s obsession, and potentially giving her a fatal end. The vocals are just the right shade of unhinged, the beat fun enough to lift the track from unsettling depths. Still, it’s hard not to feel a little jumpy at the shouted, “no, don’t go in there, do not flip that switch!”
Meanwhile, the second lady of the album, “Jill”, feels like an almost painfully real dive into a toxic relationship. It’s one of the songs that’s harder to grasp onto, which ends up making it feel the most personal. In any case on the EP—playing with fiction or mystifying reality—the songs are crafted with the same care, and performed with the same infectious energy.