9.5/10
Well homies, there is nothing plastic about this debut EP. Tyson Kelly’s Plastic Rockstar (released September 16th, 2020) is as real as it gets. My only gripe, this is simply not enough material for me to truly dig my talons into. Patience is a virtue ya ya. I’m sure there’s more to come so for now, let’s take what we can get and plunder these four tracks for their gold.
The first song, “And I See Your Face,” is a slick mother fucking two minute and thirteen-second romp with an infectious bass groove and some David Bowiesque crooning. Is it imitation? Fuck if I care, if Kelly can do Bowie to the point where it sounds like the thin white duke himself, I’m all for it! The drums kick into a Latin groove just as the song is building steam and then…fuck it’s done? I’d have loved for Kelly to have built on this vibe a little longer. Give me the three/four-minute pop package, but alas, we just get a sample. I like a good tease. “Get Me Higher” is a fully formed pop, disco beauty. Complete with falsetto swag and a melody that calls to mind Scissor Sisters. Kelly is giving us anthemic, radio-ready pop sexiness that doesn’t shy away from its influences but stands there right beside them with assuredness.
The halfway point peeps with the single “Am I Ever Gonna See You Again” and brings up the synth element. God damn, I’m a sucker for that synth. Always gonna get points with me. Is it blasphemous to compare this to Prince? Call me out if I’m off base, but Kelly brings it on this track, the coolness, the swagger in the vocals riding on another killer bass line. If you won’t permit me the Prince comparison, I’ll throw you The War on Drugs. Eerily similar vibe, but Kelly makes it his own, opting for a poppier approach rather than the more rock-centric vibes of the War on Drugs. So fucking danceable, I really wish there was more, but here we are at the fourth and final track. “I Wasn’t Saying That” is the only one that didn’t blow me out of the water. That’s not to say it is bad. It would make a nice slower, moody transition on a full-length effort, but it leaves a bit to be desired on such a short EP. The bass thumps through, all the way through this sample EP the bass parts get top points from me, followed closely by the slick vox.
What more can I say? There’s a fuck ton of promise here. Please sir, can I have some more?
Written by Lee Ferguson
*Edited by Dominic Abate
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