Review: Laundromat – Red EP


7.5/10

Laundromat Red EP artwork




Meet Me In St Louis frontman Toby Haynes releases the final part of his ‘colours’ trilogy of Laundromat EPs after the Blue and Green efforts last year.

Exploring lyrical themes of mental health, friendship and erstwhile politicians, it’s arguably the most complete set of the three.

Once agai the production is muffled, akin to Unknown Mortal Orchestra, yet that increases the intimate air; a scrape of orchestral strings announces Flat Planet, which begins with a strident bassline before gnarly guitars are introduced halfway through. It crams a lot into its three-minute runtime.

Where Haynes channels Josh Homme on Flat Planet, he opts for more tender delivery on En Bloc, which is not so much hypnotic in its lethargy but insistent. It’s an ode to friendship (‘so long you little charmer, I feel like you’re treading water’) with multi-layered, sparse percussion.

The melancholic Milky ruminates on mental health and its persistency (‘just don’t darken my door’), which culminates in an imploring and moving voicemail message, the muffled tones perfectly suiting the track’s anxious guitar.

Haynes’ decision to release three separate EPs rather than one album was a wise one; the trio stand well as individual pieces of work, but placed together the power and effect of the lyrics could be lost.

Regardless, where he goes from here will be fascinating to watch.

Richard Bowes

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