Simple Creatures are back with an EP that – following March’s ‘Strange Love’ – is exactly what you would expect; funky synths, endless vocal effects, and two of the most well-known voices in pop punk.
If you’re expecting anything sonically revolutionary with ‘Everything Opposite’, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. There’s nothing new here – but once you let go and embrace the catchy beats and sassy tones that make up this six track EP, there is endless joy to be found in the music, even if at times it feels overdone.
Music aside, Hoppus and Gaskarth have always excelled when it comes to lyrical content, and Simple Creatures is no exception to that. ‘One Little Lie’ is a lyrical standout, touching on something that many of us will be able to relate to – understanding that it may take telling yourself something that you know is far from being true in order to fight your way out of a deep depression. When juxtaposed with the upbeat music it seems contradictory, but that’s the beauty of it. Simple Creatures have taken the direction many bands have embraced in recent years, which is to release music that means something under the guise of only being skin deep, ensuring that as well as being able to take something from its messaging, you can have a damn good time while doing so, too. This is also true of the unashamedly vulnerable ‘Need Me’ and the self-indulgent yet painful ‘NVM’.
There is something for everyone to uncover as this EP unravels – and while ‘Thanks, I Hate It’ may have caused a “what the fuck is this?” reaction upon its release last month, you’re lying if you claim not to feel great satisfaction shouting the title line along with Hoppus and Gaskarth as ‘Everything Opposite’ draws to a satisfying close.
YASMIN BROWN