“Soy Pablo” by Boy Pablo – Review
Reviewed by Daniel Tobin
Soy Pablo is the second EP from the Norwegian indie band Boy Pablo. I was introduced to this band when I was invited to their concert in Boston last summer. After giving their first EP a listen and saying “why the heck not,” I went to their concert for a whopping $12. The energy and sound that they bring to a live show was incredible and this sophomore EP delivers that energy. Some of these songs aren’t anything new, as some of them were singles and others were played live during their tour.
What makes this EP stand out to me is the energy and vibe that makes me wanna stand up and start doing the Carlton dance for the entire 21 minutes.
While Boy Pablo’s style isn’t necessarily anything new or groundbreaking, it still feels fresh. They are a typical indie rock quartet that uses dreamy guitar with heavy chorus and reverb along with some silly and fun love song lyrics. What makes this EP stand out to me is the energy and vibe that makes me wanna stand up and start doing the Carlton dance for the entire 21 minutes. I will admit that there isn’t much variety between songs, but they don’t need variety. My personal favorite song on Soy Pablo is “Sick Feeling”, which was released as a single earlier in the year. It manages to simultaneously be a song about breakup, as well as make you want to smile and dance. I also think “TKM” is the perfect song to end on, with it’s long instrumental solo to finish off the song as well as the EP.
Boy Pablo has only released two EP’s and a few singles over their career and I think this approach fits their style well. Like I said before, they don’t have a whole lot of variety, so a seven song EP works in their favor. The band keeps this theme going with their songs too, four of the seven songs are under three minutes. It’s like when you get a small ice cream cone: you love it when you’re eating it, but when you’re done part of you wishes there was more while another part of you knows that you couldn’t handle anymore. I think if it was a full length album then it would be easy to get tired of their goofy lyrics and the repetitive guitar style. But it’s not a full album, so instead of getting tired of it, I love it.
Overall Soy Pablo is just fun and full of energy. I can’t help but crack a smile at least once while listening to it. It’s not often that I can listen to a song about a t-shirt and actually enjoy it. They manage to take a typical indie pop rock sound and make it their own. If you’re looking for an album full of meaningful lyrics, then Boy Pablo isn’t for you. But if you just wanna enjoy the music and have a good time, give them a listen. You’ll enjoy what they’ve done so far and hopefully what they have in store for the future.
Score: 7.5/10
A surprisingly good cone of vanilla soft serve with sprinkles.
Edited by John Wright
You can listen to “Soy Pablo” below:
