Dowsing's "World's Finest Chocolate"
May 27, 2014 - Count Your Lucky Stars
Annabel and Dowsing aren't exactly newcomers, with both acts boasting a pair of full-lengths and multiple EPs under their respective belts. It's no surprise then that both contribute a pair of strong tracks that mostly progress emo revival into new and interesting territory. Annabel show off their polished indie-pop side on "Always," with a bubbly post-rock undercurrent and earnest vocals driving the EP opener, and then get more aggressive and fuzzy than they've ever been on "Forever"; it's basically a punk-pop song, with a super-simple lyrical refrain ("I wanna be with you/I wanna be with you/I wanna be with you/Foreverrrr!"), thumping drumbeat and static coating that recalls Wavves or early Japandroids. Dowsing keep the lovelorn vibes going with "Fistful Of Hot Wheels," which finds its narrator blaming later albums by Jets To Brazil and the Appleseed Cast for giving him false romantic hopes. Musically, they pick up where they left off on last year's I Don't Even Care Anymore, leading catchy, slightly raw, twist-and-turn emo-pop a la early Promise Ring with grumpy, Osker-ish vocals, hitting their stride on the quietly intensifying crescendo of closer "World's Finest Chocolate."