Thank You Volcano is the product of the friendship of American Sam Hersey and Canadian Ryan Lovelock, who met in the Netherlands in 2006 and have been writing tunes together ever since. The guys got a bit more serious about their music last year and “Some Mule And A Rhino”, five tracks of tender, acoustic music, is the result [along with some lovely cover art, I think].
“Super Mutants” kicks off proceedings with a spacious, echoing guitar part, barely audible oohs and a melody that’s reminiscent of “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks. The feel of the song, though, is far from the laidback cockiness of that track: there’s a real fervour to Ryan’s lead vocals, tempered wonderfully by Sam’s warm backing when the two combine in the chorus and dolefully bemoan that “All I ever wanted… all I’ve ever wanted now is gone because you’ve fallen down”. The combination of vocals is a gorgeous effect that sustains most of the EP.
The meat of the EP is pleasant if a little meandering. “Some Mule And A Rhino” is a fragile number with a hopeful bridge, differentiated by the guitar being warped just a smidge. “Robert Yuley” sounds the most upbeat of all the tracks on the album and, given the jovial tone of its titular refrain, you could be forgiven for thinking that Robert was an old school friend of these two guys. Maybe they used to share a treehouse. Pay attention to the lyrics, though, and you’ll realise that things aren’t what they sound: “Robert Yulie sittin’ on his tool, he drains the blood, prepares them for the funeral. Robert Yulie grovels like a fool, feels so young as he sits and rejuvenates.” Yikes.
Thankfully the final track, “Song For Amelia Earhart”, is far less sinister, and finishes the EP just as strongly as “Super Mutants” starts it. The vocals are switched up with Sam on the lead and Ryan backing, and, again, they come together beautifully for the chorus. You can stream the whole EP for free below, and you owe it to yourself to check out the bookend tracks. Click these links to Amazon or iTunes if you’re interested in buying.
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