I came across the virtually unknown Loblaws about half a year ago, buried deep in a Spotify playlist. With 15 monthly listeners, they were just the underdog I was looking for. Their known discography hints at a short-lived group, consisting of the 2008 4-track EP Won’t Stop, followed by a 3-track single Watch Out for Me in 2009, which I will review at a later date. Regardless, the 7 tracks they gave us are absolutely worth a listen.
The merely 8-minute EP, described on the cover as “Mutant Pop”, opens with Tossing & Turning, a mid-tempo track about the feeling of realising you’re in love. It’s not a life-changing track per se, but it does have its moments that save it from being too paint-by-numbers, namely the drum & bass second verse, spiced up by the fun vocally-harmonised line “We were scuffed and meddled and we settled on a ska band playing metal songs”.
However, track 2 is where the record really starts shining. It’ll Take a Lot is the only one that’s not a love song, and was the first Loblaws number I heard. Clocking in at only 1:24, it’s the shortest song on the EP, but it more than makes up for it in quality. The opening riff captures your attention, handing it over to the exceptionally well-crafted vocal melody, which doesn’t let you go right until the end. The harmonies are on point, the bass fills are groovy, and it’s always over too soon. Some quality ringtone material we got here.
9:15, while just another love song, is musically far from generic. The drumming in the instrumental bridge is an easily-overlooked highlight, while the Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies throughout the track give it that extra oompf which elevates it to an above-average track.
We close with Jimmy, a short story of love found and lost. Fuck it, we were all Jimmy at some point or another. The track is short and sweet with minimalistic verses, but it opens up for the choruses (also big fan of the passing chord on “love” at “how fleeting love can be“). The EP ends on a high-energy note with the repeated “no more!“, which almost seems to mock the fact that I do, in fact, want more.
Overall, Won’t Stop is a short-but-sweet release that, despite not straying too far off the beaten path, is well written, far from generic, and made most of my playlists. Production-wise it’s good enough, though the vocals are a bit harsh on some parts, a bit quiet on the others, and could benefit from a de-esser, but that’s knit-picking. I much rather listen to this than the mamooth levels of over-production on mainstream pop punk nowadays. Give The Loblaws a shot, they’re very much worth it!
– Tom E. Gin
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