A strongly melodic fusing of vintage psych-pop and hooky rock shows on the Peppermint Lane EP, a new release from Pablo Moondog. The Providence, Rhode Island-based project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Gott impresses across these five tracks, boasting a harmonious glow in a variety of satiating builds — often traversing from quaint piano-laden breeziness into twangy guitar delectability, with smoothly entrancing vocals retaining a consistent presence throughout.
The EP’s opening title track evolves from a quaint psych-pop intrigue into bouncy piano and expressive guitar tones. “She says it won’t always be like this,” Gott sings into a rousing guitar buzzing, enticing before and thereafter: “Let’s go out to Peppermint Lane.” The second half dazzles in its bursting guitar-forward charisma, quickly showcasing the project’s tendencies for rewarding escalations that traverse seamlessly from vintage pop into expressive rock momentum.
“Say You’ll Never Let Me Go” follows with a hazier yearning, with dazed vocals and mellow keys resembling a comedown from the more upfront vibrancy of “Peppermint Lane.” The track’s lusher introspection embraces the psych-friendly spectrum with immersive engrossment. Following that is a charming cover of The Kinks’ “This Strange Effect,” presenting a familiarly inviting lure with the classic “you’ve got a strange effect on me, and I like it,” suaveness.
Garden-set teatimes and smitten enamoring take hold on “Nowhere to Go (Nowhere to Be),” capturing the beautiful feeling of being beside your beloved — with not a desire for anything else in the world but their presence. “We could be young and free,” the vocals continue, stirring alongside the psych-friendly textural effervescence; this is an apt follow-up to the Kinks cover, delivering a similarly nostalgic pleasure. The concluding “All That We Have” develops from gentle guitar streams into a soaring dream-pop arsenal, ending this compelling EP with a gorgeous refrain.
