Love Kills is a consuming new EP from Desert Man, a Gothenburg-based solo project that blends melodic rock/folk sensibilities with heartfelt lyricism exploring love, identity, and emotional depth. The project represents the solo endeavor of Grammy-nominated artist and producer Sebastian Gäbel. The highlights within range from the folk-laden “Willow Waltz” to the invigorating “Desire Lines,” which struts a ’90s rock nostalgia in its textured guitar work and “stare into the fire” vocal introspections.
The EP kicks into gear with “Zodiac,” a melodic rock earworm that builds from intriguing verses — with a pulsing bass prominence and ruminating guitars — into an anthemic rock fervor. “Made you who you are now, a member of the so-called human race,” interacting vocal layers swelter into a riveting title-touting hook, radiating with colorful twanging amidst the now-soaring vocal disposition; a debonair guitar builds a bridge back into the verses with satiating impact.
The subsequent EP title track also excels in its various tonal sequences, ranging from initially quaint, breezy perspectives on how “love is a myth” into a call to “love a little love” as guitars flourish with jangling warmness. The lyrics also enamor in providing just the right edge of heartrending sentimentality and biting humor, pondering if love’s drug-like temptations are different than other addictive substances: “Love is a drug that helps you get through the day / then again, so does crystal meth.”
Another standout track, “Willow Waltz” maneuvers with a folk-ready retrospection as strumming acoustics and stately piano arrive into the “endless open sky” guitar-twanging radiance. The “nobody’s home” ensuing contemplation feels like a musing on changing circumstances, where past comforts of familiarity may now exude a lonesomeness. Love Kills is an EP that excels in both its melodic replay-inducements and emotively affecting lyricism.
—
“Love Kills” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
