Family of the Year- St. Croix EP Review

Warm, engaging indie pop.

Family of the Year - St. Croix EP (2011) – 6.7 / 10.0
tinyOGRE ENTERTAINMENT

Family of the Year seem worthy of receiving a coffee mug with that titular honor. Their debut EP St. Croix features four original tracks and a remix by synth-friendly act Hooray for Earth. FOTY’s songs are warm, engaging, and hint at a bright future for the band from the Caribbean flare of the EP’s title track to the quieter folk beauty of “Chugjug”. This is friendly music without any spark of conflict or danger. Adventure appears in the form of a late night hookup on “6 AM” only remembered by a phone number scribbled on a hand in pen. FOTY’s one moment of semi-aggressive playing comes on the second track “Living On Love” with some heavy riffing and explosive percussion, but it’s best likened to friendly shoving than suggesting the band’s capability of exploring darker themes. I am convinced that their music is best served without the addition of synthesizers as evidenced by Hooray for Earth’s remix of “St. Croix”. The original song’s island party charm is lost in Hooray for Earth’s vapid arrangement. If FOTY stick to their chops, they have potential of breaking out in 2012 with their friendly indie pop and living up to that decisive band name.