London-based duo Stage Door Guy‘s Keep It in the Family EP pairs ska and blues influences across two original compositions and a dub version of its title track. Recorded at The Shack studio in southeast London with producer Lenny Bignell, the sessions also feature trumpet contributions from Titch Walker.
The EP’s three tracks all charm with their own melodic personalities. Its title track is especially stellar in its dynamics of instrumentation, shifting emphasis between a moody bass crawl, enthused guitar pulses, and trumpet adornments. Vocal laments on “anger and frustrations” are met by the calming, hypnotic ska-forward aesthetic, while the track’s title-bearing refrain proves infectious amidst the progressing ska guitar riffs and trumpet blares, reminding fondly of a more laid-back Madness. Themes of generational family trauma and unspoken truths meld with an excellently produced sound here.
“Suddenly It’s Thursday” is another success, featuring a debonair narration-type vocal feeling. Stirring organs and suave guitars — emitting a West African-influenced blues progression — venture into a “suddenly it’s Thursday” declaration, progressing throughout with stellar guitar, bass, and organ interplay. A more free-flowing spontaneity is apparent throughout the verses, delectably so, and driving infectiously to that title-centric hook. Keep It in the Family is an enveloping EP from Stage Door Guy, pairing meaningful lyrical prowess with ska-forward amiability.
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