Roses

After relocating from Cleveland to Philadelphia, singer/songwriter Matthew Scheuermann put together a self-titled three-song EP released on Valentine’s Day 2015 under the name of Roses. Working alongside crisp acoustic guitar strumming, Scheuermann’s voice reminds me a bit of Band of Horses vocalist Ben Bridwell or maybe even Jeff Mangum since he has a tendency to sing in a higher register, finding gorgeous melodies when working within the tenor range.

Though evident throughout the EP, the singer’s ability to craft a flowing, story-like narrative particularly shines through on second track “Preacher. Having a semi-tragic sort of feel to it, an especially resonant accompanying guitar provides a strong base that the almost plaintive vocals can soar on top of. Meanwhile, album opener “Boys” features glowing piano and a bit of fuzzy background distortion alongside the melody, and the significantly lighter and brighter finale “Summer Sounds” clips along to a trotting rhythm. All in all, the Roses EP is relatively quiet and low key, but also pleasant and calming: an ideal if very brief rainy day listen that I’d have no problem recommending.

7.0 / 10 — Andy