loud paper

Irving
I Hope You’re Feeling Better Now
Eenie Meenie Records

Pop draws you in, pumps you full of carbonated sugar syrup and leaves you bubbly and hollow. The curious thing about Irving’s record, I Hope You’re Feeling Better Now, is that it delivers the bubblegum licks, but laces them with some unexpected flavors. The longest song on the EP, “The Curious Thing About Leather,” starts off in a moody-guitar and tambourine languor spotted with Beach Boys harmonic La-las and grinds into an Emo churn which ends in a straightforward on-beat pop song two-minutes into the track. Several genres are scrambled together before trumpets sound and take the piece home. “Please Give Me Your Heart, Is All I Need,” is another combo platter: part orange Creamsicle, part East River oil slick. The Los Angeles band is made up of five members (Aaron Burrow, Brian Canning, Alex Church, Steven Scott and Brent Turner) each of who write songs and sing lead. Perhaps it’s that collaboration which informs Irving’s musical concoctions. Or perhaps it’s that culture is crashing together in a Sizzler salad bar heap and Irving is providing the soundtrack for dumpster diving.