“Soulmates… Unfortunately For You” by Alexander Paul – Review

By Stevie Priller

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a sucker for music from New Jersey. Alexander Paul’s newest EP, “Soulmates… Unfortunately For You,” is no exception. Having been written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Alex himself, this EP covers a lot of ground in five short songs. With songs written between the end of Science and through playing with Frank Iero and the Patience, this release is sure to please anyone who’s enjoyed either of these projects or enjoys NJ emo punk rock.

Something I love about this EP is that each track has something special about it. The track “American Friends” kicks it off with a fun punky vibe, and flows perfectly into the second track. “Darren’s Song,” the second and shortest track on the EP, fits incredibly meta yet catchy lyrics into it’s 1:50 run time, saying “If the chorus of this song sucks, I know you’d tell me.” The third song, “Self Reflection At 155 Beats Per Minute,” is exactly what it says it is, and it’s great! I really love the layering and the synth towards the end of the track.

The fourth song, “Hard to Live With,” is probably my favorite from this release with melodic vocals and synth that reminds me a bit of Motion City Soundtrack (who I’ve been listening to way too much this year… oops). “Running Away,” the final track, is the most different-sounding song on this release. It’s way heavier than the preceding tracks, but still fits in the overall sound of “Soulmates… Unfortunately For You,” and provides closure to the release that will leave you wanting to listen to it all again.

Alex is also happy to announce his new project, Awfully Good Times, with a release set for early 2019. Their first release is a cover of Weezer’s “I Just Threw Out the Love of my Dreams” on the compilation “Don’t Skip This Track.”