AWmusic

Team Genius is sextet (they might put sex in sextet, not this sex though ) out of the centre of the indie rock universe (seemingly) Brooklyn, New York. They were introduced me by the great Fanatic Promotion. Though the press release, I found rather funny; “comparable to the energy of The National”! The National is great in their own right but when it’s a band that’s more pop…you couldn’t be more wrong.

I think a proper comparison would have been Wolf Parade but more importantly lead singer Drew Hermiller is in so many ways like Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown/Wolf Parade/a bajillion other projects). Drew shows off his various vocal range with yelping and sometimes rough unperfected vocals that ultimately give Team Genius it’s charm as being silly/fun and almost uncaring.

With only 5 songs of the EP. Team Genius show some range while keeping it simple. While Drew’s vocals change drastically throughout each track so does the band, sometimes with an interesting, other times taking over with some upbeat keyboarding. They even change it a bit with their last tune which is rather slow moving and ultimately rewarding. A comparison I’d like to make that hasn’t been thrown out there is that they are really similar to Los Campesinos! providing punk elements with great lyrical content.

Let’s do a run down of all 5 songs to organize my thoughts.

1. Let’s All Sleep Together
This is a fun pop gem lasting a mere 2:15 but it has some of the funniest lines that I would love to quote or just sing in my head. Clearly it’s talking about orgies and the line “I’m so beautiful, you’re so beautiful, let’s all sleep together!” is stuck in my head like that that “is your bed made…etc” from Vampire Weekend’s Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.

2. Sing Song
This is THE track that I believe Drew sounds 100% like Spencer Krug. It’s actually the first track I liked by them. The lyrics seem inaudible at times even when this is supposed to be a song for you to sing sing sing along. It almost sounds like a drunken anthem at times. It’s a pretty catchy track though at this point I give up trying to figure out any deeper moments as I can’t keep up with vocally… after awhile I just hear “we’re sorry”.

3. Hand Claps in E Major
This song utilizes the keyboard for a lot of the track, giving off the good old new wave sound. Like the title says you get hand claps in E Major… though I find the title as an interesting choice. Lyrically this track is rather simple and its simplicity complements the full-out sing song and I’m Just An Idiot.

4. I’m Just An Idiot
This track is extremely fun, fast paced and having a good time. This song is more complex to the ear and while the mixing/production isn’t top notch, it’s probably their best track. The 2:26 of this track is quite dense. I love the line “I guess, you guessed I’m Just An Idiot”.

5. Must
I was going to say I didn’t like this track…but it’s probably one of the deeper songs on here. It’s not so much of a pop song to me and it’s a strange way to end of EP with all the high-paced pop.

This band may be unheralded until they release a full release but I see this band coming up with great things. Comparisons aside on their own, this band rocks and they aren’t as geeky as they want to make themselves out to be.

Rating: 5 out of 5! – After much thought, it is the perfect EP.
You can buy the EP here.

I’m Just An Idiot by Team Genius

Let’s All Sleep Together by Team Genius

Must by Team Genius