Alain Alex - Wait

A nifty little track off of Alain’s terrific, wide-ranging debut EP “Coward Kidz”.  Kind of reminds me of what would happen if Vampire Weekend were fronted by Frank Ocean.

Yeah that’s right. 

If you like the sound of that, you’re most definitely going to dig much of what the young Jack-of-all-trades from Boston, MA has to offer.  He lists Broken Social Scene, The Weeknd, and G.O.O.D. as influences, and you can certainly hear aspects of each in what he is trying to do.  The EP mixes pop, soul, electro, hip-hop, dance, and rock ideas into a unique and refreshing mash of modern indie music.

While I enjoyed the creative use of ideas and textures, the EP felt a little unmoored at times, with the most notable example being the track “Lies”, which felt somewhat out of place on the record.  Alain could perhaps benefit from a more focused thematic approach that emphasizes his notable talent for melody and phrasing.

Regardless the kid is really good. From what I understand he’s just getting started and does everything himself, which is impressive considering the amount of range and polish on this EP. I’m looking forward to hearing more of what he puts together, and hopefully he’ll make it out to Chicago for a show sometime soon.

You can check out the rest of Coward Kidz on his Bandcamp, and follow the comings and goings of Alain Alex on Facebook and Twitter.