Canada’s indie-folk bopping kids, Said The Whale are a group whom you ask anyone in Canada if they have heard them, and 9 times out of a 10, they will have at least heard the name float here or there. However, ask anyone outside of Canada, and well, let us just say that that number may drop by like 7 people or so. They are big in Canada, but hardly known anywhere else. Known for their indie sound infused with folk which at this point in time just comes off as pretty stereotypical and really not anything too special, Said The Whale are a group pretty much for adolescent teens just getting into music that is not what is playing out of their parents’ radio and makes them feel ‘hip’ or ‘cool’.
Their latest release, I Love You is a quick, short little EP with three tracks. Each track sort of sounds the same, if not very similar, but have their own little bubblegum hook or catch that makes them sort of bearable in a very shallow way. They do stray away from their more folky-acoustic sound and have introduced a far more quickened, plugged-in sound, but there still is not a whole lot of depth. Super easy to digest, super poppy, and really just not that interesting to listen to, this EP is a sort of an experiment of sorts in terms of branching out into a new sound and new image, but really, it is not anything too drastic.
If you are a fan of their older material, maybe you will welcome the change in pace and sound or maybe not but despite the change, it is clear that the group knows how to make music that is sure to find some sort of audience. Very radio friendly and accessible, I Love You is music one may listen to at a pool party or something that may be playing whilst shopping for a bathing suit at H&M but other than that, it’s not really music that has enough depth to truly divulge or dig into. The EP does everything right, but it is just sort of boring and lacking in areas that make okay music great; character, originality, and something to make you want more. For all of you Canadian readers that are probably reading this considering the band is probably only really important to those of you who live in the Great White North; like having to opt for a Tim Horton’s coffee instead of a Starbucks latte, it’s not bad but it’s not really that good or anything special either.
