DAM AWARDS 2019: Best EP
Holy smokes this category is stacked. These albums left us wishing for more tracks from these talented artists that reached new heights in the past year. Hey Cowboy! released their debut album while Sylvania Ave. and Soggy fully developed their identities in their sophomore releases. Sad Cops treated listeners to their first recording since 2016’s Liam Murphy Holt, and LIL DURT deserves all the recognition for the work he’s put into the hip-hop scene over the past few years. How can anyone choose from this list!?
Soggy - Passion Aggressive
Soggy’s music has no time for pretense and stays heavy on earnest dwelling. Much like life, Passion Aggressive deftly switches between calm, melodic moods and loud, punk-ish rage. Alexi Dollar’s clever lyrics and vocals are reminiscent of David Bazan.
Standout Track: “Maude”
Sylvania Avenue - Sylvania Ave.
Before releasing the full album, Sylvania Ave. released the fantastic single “Without You.” It’s an ear-worm of an emo song that’s difficult to avoid repeating ten times over. The album release did not disappoint as each song is exactly what the Denton music doctor ordered. Sylvania Ave. has been kicking so much ass at Denton house shows for the past two years, and I hope they get to show more of the world how much they rock.
Standout track besides the song I just mentioned: “Your Favorite Ghost”
Hey Cowboy! - The Soft Kind
In 2017, anyone who saw Hey Cowboy! live knew that they were experiencing something special. KUZU producer Christopher Walker was pleading via social media for some recordings to play on the air. Thankfully, The Soft Kind was released on New Year’s Day 2018. If we’re going to try corner their sound I suppose we can Hey Cowboy! experimental pop, but I prefer to call it 70’s lucid dreaming.
Standout track: “Ooze”
LIL DURT - Sidequest
LIL DURT is one of the artists waking up Denton so they’re not sleeping on the local hip-hop scene. He’s always working and he’s so damn good at what he does. Sidequest is a two-track EP described as from the vault on his Soundcloud page. It’s smooth as fuck, and it’s going to be in my rotation all 2019 as well.
Standout track: “Flights to New York”
Sad Cops - Transition Songs
I think everyone remembers where they were the first time they heard a Sad Cops song. When a band releases an album like Liam Murphy Holt, I have a worry that the new songwriting won’t hold up. That fear was put to bed with Transition Songs, which showed maturation from the band that’s been part of Denton’s emo revival.
Standout track: “Numb Hand”
Vote for your favorite at damawards.com/vote.
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