Sun Soaking by lobsterfight

Following in the footsteps of cult emo revival acts like Brave Little Abacus, lobsterfight’s Anguel Sanchez and James Gove break out of the indie rock norms through their incorporation of a wild arsenal of instruments, ranging from melodica to singing saw. Their previous album, 2020’s pink, black and orange in the corners, mostly interested itself in placing guitars in the foreground, though that is not the case with Sun Soaking. Instead, lobsterfight chooses to go all out on their outsider sound, filling in the space where one might use lo-fi, twinkly guitar with the hectic sound of plunked-out piano, performed by Sanchez.

In addition to the dexterous performance from Sanchez and Gove, Sun Soaking features a wide selection of contributions from other “fifth wave”/bedroom/internet emo peers, such as Tyler Odom (Your Arms Are My Cocoon), Brandon Macdonald (Home Is Where), Gunnar Stephan (Rookie Card) and Caleb Haynes (Hey, Ily!), among others. Each player brings something to the table: for Macdonald, it is the fierce harmonica present in last year’s I Became Birds EP. For Odom and Jacob West (Summer 2000), it is the breaking out of strings, creating sonic textures for tracks like “Lambert Goes to Dinner” and the longingly emotional ballad “Let’s Run Through The Cornfield’s.” This congregation of some of the brightest minds in today’s DIY emo scene makes for a collective supergroup-like project with Sanchez at the helm, the sum of all of the parts resulting in a many-layered, multifaceted coloring book that doesn’t mind if some of the pages are ripped out or scribbled on.

“You consider me honestly, my love you give me sun soaking”

The opening piano chords on “grasshopper and i” establish a playful mood right away, a short and sweet title card into the disorganized but inviting world of Sun Soaking. Before one can wrap their head around the multitude of sounds happening, Gove, Sanchez and co. launch into the saxophone-accompanied “The Theme For This Evening’s Warm Dinner Salad,” nine minutes of pure arrival-- Sanchez’s vocals pouring out emotive truths and splattered softhearted admissions. “You consider me honestly, my love you give me sun soaking.” The sounds of dogs barking and doorbells ringing bring to mind Spring’s movement into Summer, the lively “afterwards,” solidifying the sunshine pop influence for a moment, only to return quickly to the myriad sounds of vibraphone and organ and harmonica and singing saw. Jacob West takes the stage fully on “My Grasshopper I See The Sun Soaking Through Your Teeth,” delivering gorgeous cello melodies that lock in with a subdued electric guitar sitting in the passenger seat. Closing track “...as we commence (one day at a time)” cools back down to a breezy summer day, with vocal harmonies and piano straight out of a Beach Boys b-side, as lobsterfight and their ragtag parade of instruments stroll down the sidewalk, leaving a warm feeling lingering.

Setting aside the expectedly messy production and occasionally crowded orchestration, lobsterfight really comes into their own on this record, no doubt thanks to their troupe of many helpers. The warm-weathered sentimentality and genuinely uplifting piano melodies create the perfect niche for the band to evolve into. If tight and technical math rock is your dig of emo revival, then skip this one. But if you can tolerate a little bit of clumsy chaos and loveable rough-around-the-edges craftiness, Sun Soaking will find a happy little place to fit on your shelf.

Summary

Though sometimes overflowing with ideas, Sun Soaking is an impressive convergence of some of emo’s best right now. With wildly dense instrumentation, quirky sunshine pop moods and an always evolving set of lo-fi tools, lobsterfight begins to find their place in the bigger-than-ever new emo canon. The many sounds of heartfelt contributions fold nicely together into a brightly colored construction paper envelope, dotted with glitter glue and stickers, a youthful longing enclosed.

Sun Soaking by lobsterfight
Good 7.3/10