From the minds of melodic masters comes a new bag of dreamy alt-rock tunes. The Lickerish Quartet is comprised of Jellyfish alumni Eric Dover, Roger Joseph Manning Jr, and Tim Smith (the fourth member of the quartet must be WE, the listeners). Unlike Volume 1 and Volume 2, THREESOME: Volume 3 is spacier and dreamier, and perhaps a little dark. Written pre-2017 and subject to pain-in-the-ass COVID logistics, these guys outfitted their home studios to record, mix, and finalize this collaboration, and the results are gorgeous.
The EP takes off with pop-rock bopper “Fortunately.” The song is a call to awaken from the fear of the underworld and live in your choices in the present. The keys and harmonic background vocals give it a really dreamy affect. There’s some sinister imagery in the song (“a powerful child who tortures then grieves.” sticks out to me) but it juxtaposes with the sweetness of the melody to create a kind of feel-good agnosticism, if that’s a thing.
The second track, “New Days,” is a spaced out hippie jam that sounds like the grandchild of ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky with touch of indica. Heady and woozy, the lyrics seem to tell of reflection and periods of transition that come and go in one’s life. The way the lyrics have a monotone affect really help the bridge come alive. This one is meant to be enjoyed while laying on fresh grass during a “purple orange” sunset, after an afternoon fadoodle (if ya catch my drift).
It took me a minute to dig the third track, “You All Alone,” because it does that thing where the drums sound out of sync with the song and it takes a few bars for it to snap into place and start rocking. But from there, the different flavors of sound marinate and that’s when the song really starts to soar. Suddenly there’s a surprise turn and the tune ends with an unexpectedly dramatic energy. I didn’t expect it to become my fave of the EP, but this one really grew on me.
The EP ends strong with “In The Meantime,” a familiar lamentation for anyone who feels caught stagnating in the world as it is while darkness looms on the horizon. The lyrics ask, “Where do we go in the meantime? When all of our love’s by the wayside/Turning my cheek to the sunshine we go down without a fight.” Perhaps delicately political, perhaps not, this tune feels a lot like waiting to hit bottom so we can start climbing back up again. Is it powerlessness or patience? It is hard to know.
Time and time again, the alumni of that beloved gelatinous aquarian pop group create sounds that make the mouth water. Smart lyrics and psychedelic pop sounds make THREESOME Volume 3 a great addition to an alt-rock playlist.
The Lickerish Quartet: THREESOME Vol 3 ★ TLQ Website ★ TLQ Instagram
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