Feb. 28 sees the release of First Person Shootr‘s Mobility For Gods EP. The five-track EP, produced entirely by Fred Warmsley, will be released on both cassette and digital format by Lefse–the label that brought you Neon Indian‘s Psychic Chasms (2009). First Person Shootr’s chillwave and R&B inspired album is an ample five-track mission statement showcasing its producers general sound and direction (a direction that gets gradually more interesting as the EP progresses).

The EP’s opening track, “You New Web”, sets the tone of the release well. It has haunting vocals weaving between marching piano tones and it’s all sitting comfortably with garage-esque drum beats. Which, is nice enough, but let’s face it, nothing new. Warmsley’s sparse production throughout the album is pleasantly meager. Like the best conversationalist, Warmsley doesn’t feel the need to fill your ears with unnecessary noise. The majority of the tracks are well-arranged and thoughtful with well placed notes, sounds and samples to create an eerie atmospheric sound scape, often with hypnotic effects.

It would be pretty easy to bundle First Person Shootr’s musical promethazine sound in with the Blakes and the Dafydds. There’s even an occasional Weeknd-like similarity in places. The EP’s closing track, “u’re better off”, sees Warmsley’s dub-style noisy effects and echos giving a larger than life feeling to a track that would otherwise be quite flat and boring. Mobility For Gods is a pretty interesting EP. There were certain tracks that I felt were slightly predictable, but Warmsley does well by keeping the listener on their toes. He does this by throwing in an aural curve ball–a switch in the vocal here, or a sudden pitch down in the beat there. It gives Mobility For Gods an edge . It’s the variation that Warmsley employs within each track that sets this release apart from ‘the rest’. From the text-book chillwave of opening track “You New Web” to the less predictable (and in my opinion far more interesting) closing track “u’re better off”, there are subtle differences that give it an almost unique voice. I’m looking forward to hearing more First Person Shootr and hope future releases steer clear from the crowd and journey down the less populated path.

2.5 out of 5 stars

2.5 out of 5