The Decemberists - Traveling On EP

The Decemberists
Traveling On EP
2018
Spotify

Of all the bands from the folk indie explosion a few years ago The Decemberists were probably my favorite of the bunch. Despite their flowery language and odd lyrical topics their music always felt honest and pure. They never felt like they were cashing in on a genre on the rise, but rather speaking their own truth. They are not notoriously prolific but this EP marks their second release of the year. Their last album I'll Be Your Girl saw the band take a turn for the synth which was perfectly fine but did not quite reach the highs of their earlier works. The album kicks off with one of the best songs they've made to date "Down on the Knuckle". It is an absolute romp and has you banging your feet from the first second it kicks in. It is far more pop centric than most of their work, but that's a good thing here. They give you this super approachable song at the outset in hopes of keeping you locked in throughout. Its a good thing because the next track the "I Will Not Say Your Name" they are back to their old shit with a six minutes and 43 second song. It's fine, but because it is so long it looses any punch it might have had. The track feels a bit out of place on this EP which is pretty expansive. "Tripping Along" then becomes The Decemberists version of a psycadelic track and, it really works. They create this beautiful sound that bounces along with a gentle drum beat, but also swirls in the sky with Collin Maloy's voice forever rising up into the clouds.

These songs were recorded during the I'll Be Your Girl  sessions, but you can see why they didn't make that album. You can see why, these tracks are good but they don't quite fit the narrative that The Decemberists were going for on the last album. Everything feels like it is pressing forward on this album, constantly moving ahead. Even The Decemberists archaic language feels alive and new on this album. Save for the second track this record cooks a lot hotter than most of The Decemberists other work. Instead of meandering and waiting to get to the point on this EP they lay it all out right from the jump and it really works well. You can just imagine how raucous the crowds are going to get when they play "Down on the Knuckle" live, probably more wild than any show of theirs you've ever seen. This EP is an arrow that the band needed in their quiver. It is a change of pace but one that still feels grounded in their history. A really fun EP that is worth every second of the 21 minute runtime.

7.9 out of 10