2012 So Far: Essential EPs

For some reason I’ve found myself listening to more EPs and fewer albums this year, especially when it comes to Australian music. It’s little wonder really, given how many great new bands have appeared on the scene this year, many of whom have released their debut EP recently. In fact of this list I believe all but two EPs are from bands who are yet to release a full-length record, which says a lot about just how many newly-formed bands there are floating around at the moment, just waiting to be discovered by a wider audience.

Antonio Paul’s second EP is much the same as the Western Australian band’s first, in that it offers plenty of summer jams, hooks, and catchy indie pop music. 

Atlas Genius could have been forgiven for jumping on the hype that surrounded their debut single Trojans last year, but instead the band took their time with this debut EP, and the wait has been worth it. This is a finely crafted record from this Adelaide outfit full of hits and without a weak song to their name.

The Belligerents’ second EP is much the same as the Brisbane band’s first, in that it offers plenty of summer jams, hooks, and catchy indie pop music. 

The mysterious Burial hasn’t put a foot wrong lately, not that he ever really has in the past. His collaborations with Four Tet have been top notch, as is this, ‘Kindred EP’.

Charlie Mayfair’s latest EP, ‘Fall In Time’, builds on the carefully constructed music of their debut offering to create a more complete and satisfying record that demonstrates the band’s natural talent for story-telling and beautiful folk music.

Colour Coding make music that I like much, much more than the band members’ main project, Operator Please. Not that that’s so difficult. Their self-produced debut EP ‘Proof’ is very easy to listen to, and full of pop songs that are so polished they positively shimmer.

Hopefully posting the artwork for Foxes’ great EP ‘Warrior’ doesn’t get me in any trouble.

It’s a great pity that Brisbane band Montpelier’s send-off was as good as this. ‘Feed The City’ is an EP that hints at what could have been, but it’s still a very enjoyable listen, albeit slightly bittersweet.

Probably my favourite EP of the year so far comes from a band I only discovered through a PR email that I actually read (‘It Was The 1%’). The Royal Concept make insanely catchy indie pop music which, at its best, sounds like a mix between The Strokes and Phoenix; a winning formula for sure.

Walk The Moon have been around for a while but haven’t really gained much traction outside of the States. If they continue to make music as enjoyable and as catchy as ‘Anna Sun EP’, however, it won’t be long until you’re hearing a lot more of them.