Thanks to Kool Kat Musik, the Embryos are receiving a double dose of promotion. The label is reissuing this Chicago band’s 2018 debut album – Open the Kimono, which had only been available in limited quantities on vinyl – while tacking three songs from their follow-up 7-inch EP onto one compact disc. Singles Club Vol. 1 was also initially pressed only on vinyl.
It is hard to believe the Embryos have only been together for a couple of years. Self-contained, sure-footed and flexible, they already possess the kind of musical language and direction associated with well-established acts.
Gushing with smooth and shining harmonies, layers of chiming guitar patterns and mega-sized melodies, Open the Kimono +3 is perhaps best viewed as traditionally based pop rock with occasional variations of the genre.
Sensing the Embryos have been educated by the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Gin Blossoms, R.E.M., Big Star and the Posies, the band ably transcends these influences in the form of their own creative songwriting and arranging techniques.
Among the jewels heard on Open the Kimono +3 are the sweeping power-pop flourishes of “Wake Up Screaming” and “Circleville,” along with the blues-oriented “Eleven Forty” that features a neat round of whistling harmonica fills and chugging rhythms.
And then there’s the swinging and jingling “Ghost Dreams, Mainly,” which entails some neat time shifts. “Messages of the Orb” is carved of moody measures and clipped and icy vocals.
Spiked with electrifying guitar swells, “Wasting All Your Time” moves in as another morsel to be relished – as is “Playin’ Hooky,” a cute and whimsical ditty recalling a high-school romance that is indeed hooky.
A grand accomplishment, Open the Kimono +3 is a must have for those who enjoy inventive yet obtainable pop-rock songs. Let’s hope the Embryos continue pursuing and embracing such sounds because they definitely have a good thing going.
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