Written by Jennifer Moglia
On Friday, December 4th, New Jersey alternative band Can’t Swim released “Someone Who Isn’t Me”, an eclectic EP that strays from their typical sound, but still makes the mark. As a band that had normally been classified as pop-punk, their much sonically heavier 2019 EP “Foreign Language” came as a pleasant surprise to many; this one is completely different once again, but in a completely different way.
The opening track, “Someone Who Isn’t You” became an early favorite for me on first listen, standing out with big, bombastic production and some elements reminiscent of electronic and trap music. The exasperated spoken line “you’re right, I don’t understand” before the tempo change was definitely a highlight.
Track two, “Who’s Happy?”, served as the first single and was accompanied by the announcement of the EP. Sonically bright and lyrically dark, this song proves that Can’t Swim is doing a good job of pulling off this “genre change” thing; you can read our full review here.
“Casey” was also released as a single prior to the full EP being out. It’s a soft, “chill” track with some emo-trap influences that perfectly plays its role as a break from the action at the halfway point of the release.
The fourth song, “Floor 71” is probably the most unique and diverse sonically out of the five presented here. It almost reminded me of 2010s electronic/dance music (in a good way!!), especially towards the end of the track.
This EP closes with “Tiny Hands”, an emotional, acoustic song that brings the energy back down. It serves as a bookend to the opener and a title track of sorts with the closing lyrics, “I look back at the man that I’ve become/ Someone who isn’t me.”
“Someone Who Isn’t Me” isn’t exactly cohesive, and it’s unlike anything Can’t Swim has ever done, but that’s where the beauty of this release is found. In a year full of emotional turmoil for just about everyone, this EP does a great job of bringing that frustration and exasperation to life, keeping the listener on their toes with expert lyricism and everchanging instrumentation that never feels choppy and always flows together expertly.
Can’t Swim’s new EP “Someone Who Isn’t Me” is available to stream wherever you listen to music, and you can support them by following them on Twitter @CantSwim_ or picking up some merch via their site or Merch Limited. If you listened to the EP, feel free to let us know what you think by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!
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