LOVETAP!- Smallpools

Since I first heard "Dreaming" on AltNation I have been slightly obsessed with Smallpools; thinking back it feels like that was so long ago, but it was in the late summer of 2013. For some reason I feel like they have been around a lot longer that the two years that they have. I think it's partially because they have that sort of 60s beachy sound mixed with the 80s dance music vibe; though they are classified as indie pop. It seems like Smallpools has made it their mission to combine all the best aspects from music over the past 50 years and make a new sound that is beautifully original.

When I first heard the song "Killer Whales" my mind immediately went to Sea World and the movie Blackfish, but it's not about either of those things. It is a song about being in love with someone who isn't around, in this case they are "saving all the killer whales". The way he describes the girl in the song is how I dream a guy would talk about me- "Alone in that motor suite tonight. I’m trying to paint your face in my brain so I can get sleep and calm my mind. She was a concept; I was in love then." He is totally in love with this ideal girl that doesn't exist, yet she takes up all of his thoughts; it's just such a relatable and idealistic view on the way the world works, that I can't help but wish that he finds his dream girl. 

LOVETAP! is Smallpools' first full length album. They started in Los Angeles, but Sean (lead singer) is from New York, Mike (guitarist) is from New Jersey, and Beau (drummer) and Joseph (bassist) are from Oregon. I believe in destiny, and I feel like these guys were meant to come together create the amazing music that they do. I have never heard anything quite like what they do, and that has led to me fascinated by every song that I hear. Each one of their songs tells a story and that makes me want to hear it over and over again; they let me go on an adventure with my earbuds.

Smallpools mixes so many different instruments and sounds that you almost don't know what you should focus on. Sean has a phenomenal range that fills in the gaps left in the instrumentals; he makes you feel engaged in the stories they tell with the way he uses his inflection. Beau does an amazing job of playing the drums in a way that creates a wonderful backing for the song, while never overshadowing any of the other elements. Every instrument used in each song make their music the organized mess it is; you're not always sure what exact pieces went into making the music you're listening to, but you love it all the same- if not more.

The song "Mason Jar" was another track that immediately drew me in; it begins with a series of oh's, then goes into Sean singing, with speaking in between lines, and an enchanting instrumental backing. This song tells the story of falling in love with a very unique girl, then realizing it's not really meant to be, and then dealing with the emotional turmoil she causes. This song has a bitter honesty about how it is to be in love, but somehow still makes me dream about it like a fairy tale. It almost makes you want to go after those people who you know will break your heart, just to get that experience.

Smallpools received a lot of mainstream airplay after the initial release of "Dreaming", and I was extremely excited for them; since then, they haven't been getting quite as much attention, but I'm hoping that they are able to get the level of recognition for at least one song on this album, because I personally believe that some of these songs are better than "Dreaming". This is an unbelievably creative group of guys, and I'm never sure what I'm going to hear when I listen to their music. Smallpools is constantly full of surprises, and in the music business that is an amazing quality to possess. 

Smallpools' Website
Buy LOVETAP!