New York – Joseph de los Reyes (vocals/drums) and Koosh Saxena (guitar/keyboard/vocals) make up San Francisco’s Little Envy. The duo released their debut self-titled album this week on South X Sea Records, which they recorded with Sam Pura at Panda Studios. Little Envy is an upbeat and intricate first attempt. The songs are bright, but edgy. They’re a little repetitive, but mostly form a cohesive first listen. Although the songs sound crafted, each part has purpose and was built into the framework of the track.
Genre-wise the record sounds like it could qualify as something that ends in “-core” mixed with rock. There are elements, like the guitar in “3:00 am” or the overall raspy pseudo-screaming that sound harder, but there are also “poppier” moments as well. The dual vocals and timbre of the voices are reminiscent of alternative rock band Mayday Parade mixed with metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon. The latter’s new single, “Drown,” is actually something of a fitting comparison. During a recent interview with Digital Spy, BMTH’s guitarist Lee Malia described the sound as “the most extreme thing on the pop side rather than being the softest metal band.” Not to parse genres, but Little Envy could definitely fall into the category of extreme pop/soft metal. Little Envy has the heavy drums and guitar paired with soft, sweeping vocals. The album won’t get you sent to the guidance counselor, but at moments it will make your mom wince and reach for the radio dial.
This parallel is probably helped along by the fact that Reyes’ voice is similar to BMTH’s Oliver Sykes or other vocalists from the various -core genres like Pierce the Veil’s Vic Fuentes or Mice and Men’s Austen Carlile. Minus the screaming. Reyes pushes himself to that genre-appropriate hoarseness, but he doesn’t go over the edge into anything resembling a growl. When he isn’t perfecting his strained screaming, Reyes sings rather gently. In “Lucy” the vocalist swings in between a whispering, almost speaking softness and that reoccurring harshness. They two sounds coexist nicely and this pattern is applied with equal success throughout Little Envy. “Worthwhile” illustrates this balance. Reyes deserves points for effortlessly elongating his vowels in the song without muddling his words.
The single, “Boy,” stays at the same high-energy level. According to the band, the unnerving little song is “about being stuck inside your head and struggling to make decisions.” The track begins drum and bass heavy, but falls back. Saxena’s guitar is simple, but memorable, in these quieter moments (his part in “Flow” is also notable.) The track switches between that stripped-back, slow-moving verse and a chaotic raspy chorus. The sound is only slowed down for songs like “Sleep” and “Your Way.” The latter track picks up the energy halfway in, but “Sleep” is a drop-off smack in the middle of the record. The slow jam sounds fittingly almost like a lullaby with its simple drums and acoustic guitar. The track really showcases Reyes’ singing voice, allowing it to stand by itself unadulterated by his screech.
The appeal of Little Envy is the band’s ability to mix these sounds, perhaps even at times, genres. Sort of. They aren’t doing anything groundbreaking. It’s a sound that has been heard before. They aren’t defying lines or ignoring them, but rather failing to fall too hard into any one category, which gives them a wider appeal. There isn’t too much of any given element to drive away any fans. The genre purists and pickier listeners will run, but there is also enough going on to attract fans from all genres. Whether as BMTH’s Malia said you want extreme pop or soft metal, Little Envy ticks enough boxes to count as whichever you need it to be. Regardless of what genre you defend at parties, there is talent there that you can hear.
Zoe Marquedant
Latest posts by Zoe Marquedant (see all)
- Matt Pryor ‘Nine Forty Live’ Offers A Retrospective - December 20, 2014
- Modern Baseball Pitch A Gem In Williamsburg - December 19, 2014
- tUnE-yArDs Deliver A Tour-De-Force In Williamsburg - December 12, 2014
