'Nothing but Ringo' - Helvetia

Album: Nothing but Ringo

Artist: Helvetia

Genre: #alt #indie #rock

Sub-Genres: #artrock #indierock #experimental

Label: Jason Albertini

Description:

Formed in 2005, the group Helvetia is quite recognizably the product of Jason Albertini leaving similar slowcore band Duster. This EP was recorded on an iPhone and then recorded onto cassette, leaving a submerged and foggy DIY-esque audio experience that is honestly fitting for the experimental genre. This collection of tracks veers away from Helvetia’s previous hazy indie pop style to make room for some more unconventional song structures. I believe the album’s true release date was some time in 2015, but it was just recently opened to all steaming platforms on 10/19/2021.

The lyrics are very loose and don’t really carry much of these tracks as much as the instrumentals tend to (especially since they aren’t the easiest to decipher). The songs are all perfectly individual whilst still following some sort of umbrella style, which is a good indicator for an EP you won’t grow tired of. I enjoyed how it switched from a more eerie sound in ‘Robots’, to a happy go lucky one like in ‘John’s & Paul’s’ (who’s vocals remind me strangely of Drew Monson). That being said, there are a couple that don’t bring much to the table substance wise that may go unnoticed (such as ‘High as the Day’). I personally really like the track ‘Robots’ because I like robots and the vocal distortion is particularly appealing. If you’re looking for something to listen to while sitting in a completely empty room, feeling existential, or lying in bed, I’d say, give this one a go. I think it has a lot of solid tunes and would certainly recommend.

Sounds Like:

1. Duster (duh)

2. Swirlies

3. Alex Calder

Recommended Tracks:

1. ​Robots

2. Modicinal Prego

3. John’s & Paul’s

​Reviewer’s Name: Abigail Power

Date of Review: 12/1/2021