Stream: Gobbo - 'Somber City' (EP)

Somber City just became my favorite 13 minutes of music I've experienced this week and I feel confident in saying you will love it as much as I do.

The entirely self-produced, 4-track EP is highlighted by the heavy dosage of authentic emotion radiating from Gobbo's raw, passionate delivery. The purity of his prose couples with the boundless vibes brought forth thanks to his production, resulting in a short but noticeably powerful listening experience. Somber City is a testament to the ability of a song or project to wrap an abundance of substance and depth in a short, finely tuned and well-calculated effort - what Gobbo does in less than 15 minutes, quite a few would struggle to do with three or four times as many tracks.

Throughout the EP, Gobbo takes listeners on a ride through their own psyche, using his personal experiences as the guide that illuminates the path we journey upon. We're calmed and comforted by the reflective, uplifting and hopeful "Spring", but suddenly left to hold ourselves accountable as "Myrtle St" dances with the mournful regret that accompanies growing up and growing apart. With "Wolves", I was left awestruck at the complex and powerful nature of the record, somehow presented with such remarkably sing-songy simplicity. The guitar solo juxtaposes with the energy of the chorus, finding a way to blend energies while contrasting aesthetically.

And "Fly" feels like an outlier that shouldn't but absolutely does belong on the EP, bringing about a different energy in regards to the vocal effects, sonic composition and the emotion it draws from the listener. "Fly" serves as the perfect conclusion, the desperate and determined essence of the track tying all the previous pieces together into a puzzle-like whole.

The production featured on Somber City is pure, telling vivid stories and emitting heartfelt emotion through the instrumentation. When the lyrical content is placed upon the foundation of the production, listeners are left to experience and sit with the magic that's taking place.

Stream Somber City below.

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