You can stream this EP on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Tidal, Boomplay, Anghami, and BeMusic, and you can buy it in mp3 format on iTunes for $6.93. Unlike "Deconstructed", this album is not on Bandcamp, and nothing has been publically announced about physical copies (though note that the band has not played live since July of last year). With seven songs running for about 26 minutes, let's enjoy another sandwich!
"Collage" opens with "Unhappy", an upbeat rocker that opens with a catchy guitar line and has a somewhat punkier overall structure. Taylor's distinctively cutting vocals help set Handsome Sandwich apart, but the verses here are talkier than the chorus. We do get a brief guitar solo, which lets Jesse (I assume) show his skills well, and this song plays well into everyone's musical strengths, including solid bass from Rafael in his first studio track with the band. I'd have had more singing in the verses, but I'm not "unhappy" with how the EP is starting! Next up is "No Idea", which has a lighter structure driven by Rafael's bass and much softer guitar work, though things stay at brisk power poppy pace. Tea's vocals suit the song's melody, but by contrast, the guitar solo actually feels out of place and too raucous compared to everything around it. Nice little melodic number for what it is, though I'd like a little more of a steady edge like we saw on the opener.
The shortest song on offer is next, namely "Party Fuel", and they lean into the title well with a smooth, dancy rhythm on this song, including catchy and melodic guitar work, and another strong bass intro, though the guitar solo is way too short here. Confident vocals and a fun rhythm section add up well to an early album highlight, even if there are much heavier songs in Handsome Sandwich's catalog! Though he had guested on this song live in the past, saxophonist Josh Norling does not appear here. Fourth on the album is the slightly longer "Without You", a softer jam that is really driven by Taylor's vocals more than anything (as a pure showcase of her range, this is the best one yet), but Jesse and Mitch do get some room to show off in the background. The overall music is very pleasant but it's mostly just there without doing a lot to stand out, and the ending fades out way too early.
Definitely not a favourite song on the album for me, but not badly composed, and the vocals keep things on an upbeat path! Track #5 is "Carousel", a more dynamic and emotional number with pointed metaphorical lyrics (this carousel is definitely not at the fair), and this feels like more of an intentionally structured rock song with a darker essence, and that contrasts well with Tea's sharp vocals, which don't sound as dark as the lyrics would imply. Solid track across the board, with good percussion and the return of a guitar solo (if another short one), so don't bypass it! The penultimate song here is also the EP's longest, namely "Change A Bit", which is a slower and more deliberately paced song that does ramp up the rock aspect on the choruses. The lyrics feel very direct and personal, but the song proper doesn't have the melodic energy to it beyond short guitar solos and Taylor's more impassioned chorus singing.
Not a bad song, but the verses did feel a little lifeless despite the nature of the vocals. "Collage" fittingly closes with "All Done Now." (yes, the period is in the title), and this is arguably the most consistently rock-based song on the EP since the opener. Bouncy guitar work, more steadily intense vocals (about the end of a romantic relationship), and a strong bass line add up well here, so if you like some rock in your sandwich, this is a fitting way to say that the EP is, in fact, all done now!
So, how do I grade Handsome Sandwich's second album? Not perfect (granted, neither was "Deconstructed"), but they fit a lot of styles and sounds to appeal to many fans! If you came for upbeat edgy rock, "Collage" is bookended well, with the middle songs seeing them stretch into dancier, power pop, and softer territory (plus a dark "Carousel" ride), though I did sense less of a progressive or jazz bent here. Tea's unique, sharp vocal style continues to set them apart, the dual guitar work from Mitch and Jesse let them show their influences well, Rafael made a good impression on bass, and Johnny's drumming was reliable as you'd expect. I did appreciate that the guys dialed back on abrupt song endings here ("Without You" maybe went too far in that regard), and songs did have more varied lyrics, but of course, I would have liked a little more hard rock. Still, it's an eclectic EP with a lot to like!
The abrupt drop of "Collage" on streaming without any pre-release hype last fall, coupled with the band playing only two shows last year (both as a four-piece) doesn't paint the most optimistic picture in terms of their future, not to mention that they haven't made any public updates since its release. Hopefully they aren't indeed "all done now", as "Collage" is a varied but high quality EP that fans of Handsome Sandwich will enjoy, and you can check it out for yourself at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and next month in this series, our backlog marches on when we look at The Realignment Project's third EP "War Songs", so look for that in April, and for weekend concert previews on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!
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