underflow : 21st Birthday

Listening to 21st Birthday in the car, I was surprised by underflow. The band describe themselves as city rock and shoegaze. I can understand the shoegaze but I’m not entirely sure what city rock means. Regardless, this first EP is a strong set of songs that define the band.

When I heard “soom,” I heard Hitsujibungaku. It’s the consistent tempo, the drum rhythms, and the build up through the bass and guitar all combined under a vocal melody that weaves through everything. It’s not the single, but this song stuck out the most for me. If this is what city rock is, I want to hear more.

On “happended,” I can hear more of the shoegaze influence. Even though the song doesn’t follow the “standard” composition, the way the song is crafted uses everything the genre offers, just with a different angle. “happended” feels like a quick break with the six songs. The easygoing tone draws your attention in.

As the lead single, “no where” has a lot to live up to. The faster tempo and composition sits between “soom” and “happended.” It borrows pieces from both songs with a stronger pull towards the alternative and city rock sound. And even with this energy, there’s still a welcoming tone in the vocals.

I think “flare” is the second most normal song on 21st Birthday. Following the band’s city pop sound, it has the most recognizable composition from verse to verse. If I heard it live, I’d expect it as one of the first few songs or the outro to the live. underflow know how to craft and pull different emotions from the listener.

And closing this EP, “Morgan,” is the standard alternative rock song. But it still presents underflow’s now recognizable signature sound. Across six songs (five without “20th Birthday” introduction track), underflow create a warm and welcoming sound that’s also unique. underflow is a band to watch.