History tells us there will always be some that never get the recognition they deserve outside of the circles that know them. This is the case as it stands for the hardworking, well-respected New Yorker Allison Weiss.The follow up to last year’s near-perfect full-length ‘Say What You Mean’, ‘Remember When’ is five tracks of perfectly put together, heartfelt indie-pop songs, once again released by the prestigious No Sleep Records.
The EP opener and title track ‘Remember When’ kicks off in a perfect indie-rock fashion, in almost a direct continuation from last year’s full-length, and sounds like it could have been an album track on Tegan and Sara’s 2007 breakthrough LP ‘The Con’. This is comparison that could be said about any of the songs on the EP, but not as a slight to the incredibly talent Miss Weiss, as there is nothing wrong in being compared to one of the greatest female acts of the last fifteen years.
The theme of heartbreak and rejection is something that is carried on through ‘Giving Up’ and ‘The Fall’ which although not breaking any new ground for Allison, manage to stay poignant and relevant without feeling like you are listening to something you may have heard before. The surprise standout is the inclusion of a cover of Robyn’s ‘Call Your Girlfriend’, which has been stripped back from an electro-pop song to a softly picked guitar number. The conviction in Allison’s voice resonates from the heart, making this song her own – you would be forgiven for thinking it was an original track. The EP ends on the jangly acoustic ‘Take You Back’, that brings it to a close in a wonderful fashion, almost like it has been lifted from the ‘Juno’ Soundtrack, to leave you with a more uplifted feeling, rather than on a sombre note.
A great twenty minutes of music that never outstays its welcome, or seems to retrace steps of any of Allison Weiss previous work. It may not send her to the charts just yet, but it is the sound of a progressing artist, that will no doubt be winning more and more hearts if she continues in this manner. The world is Allison’s oyster.