Never Shout Never – The Summer EP

My first reaction to Never Say Never was a shocked: “are you serious?”  Right from the ridiculously simple album “art” (it’s made to look like a child drew it), to the album’s opening ukulele, it feels like frontman Christofer Ingel is on a lifetime supply of ecstasy.  Never Say Never’s The Summer EP is the most ridiculously optimistic thing I’ve ever heard.  I often say I like positive music, but this takes it to the point where the only imagery I can think of is (and excuse my bluntness) unicorns shitting rainbows over a kingdom of heart shaped mascots and kittens.  I’m shocked a twelve-year-old girl didn’t write this EP.

The band feels like a bad satire of Drive Thru Records emo bands like Socratic or The Early November.  The vocals hover between high to squeaky and are riddled with stock 00’s power-pop cliches.  The melodies are soft and fluffy, with only one song on the album, “I Just Laughed,” even reaching a mid-tempo pace.  The rest crawl along like a snail racing through glue, making the sixteen minute EP feel like a marathon.

Instrumentally the band is as minimalist as possible, which makes sense considering Ingle is a one-man band.  There’s never a lot going on at once, and when there is it takes the form of three chords being layered over simple, drawn out keyboard strokes.  Tambourines and Xylophones pop-up throughout tracks, but never really adds any substance.

Lyrically I can only compare the band to the intentionally satirical Emo Side Project.  Emo Side Project gained attention in the early 00’s when the group’s lone member released free albums with emo versions of things like the Pokemon Theme song, and tracks about Sesame Street’s Elmo.  However, unlike Emo Side project, Never Shout Never is completely sincere.  There are happy songs, cute songs, and generic love songs.   I guess Ingel’s heart is in the right place, but if his approach were any cutesier he might as well have just looped sixteen minutes of meowing kittens.

Never Shout Never aspires to be that uplifting band you play when getting through tough times.  I understand where Ingel is coming from, but there isn’t a lot to connect with here.  It’s shallow, self-indulgent, and preachy power-pop.  If you’re looking to get out of the dumps, or just need a little extra boost of confidence in your life, go listen to something multilayered and inspiring, like The Hold Steady’s Stay Positive – ‘cause you sure won’t find that in The Summer EP.