Album Review // Royek // Royek EP

Self-released

4.25/5 stars

One of Erie's crispest and easiest-to-listen-to recordings comes in the form of the Royek EP.

This debut three-song release from the local quintet, fronted by the eponymous Matt Royek is refreshing, honest, and just plain good.

The band formed in late 2022, consisting of Kevin Coatoam on guitar and vocals, Eric Larson on guitar, Jessica Larson on keyboards, and Jon Teater on drums. With a particular affinity for late '80s and early '90s alternative rock and jangle-pop best exemplified by REM, Royek speaks in a familiar language, and it works. In just 14 minutes, it's filled with tales of failed love and frustration finding it in complicated times.

The upbeat opener "1,000" is a personal favorite, its chime-y brightness underscoring an ultimately hopeful romantic sentiment. "Straw Hat" finds Royek at his most frustrated. Fed up with modern dating apps, he envisions himself as a literal and metaphorical scarecrow, warning others of bad decisions. "Soft Sell" is in his own words a song about "sex and real estate," a bluesy and biting story about a realtor that serves as the most driving track on the EP.