by Jeremy Winslow (@_pbnjer)
It’s hard to get excited about a five track EP when more than half of the songs have been released before the project comes out. The mystery that comes from getting lost in a project, seeing how the songs coalesce as the album progresses, loses a bit of its allure when you know what to expect. However, Tired and True, the latest EP from Portland-based slacker rocker Maya Stoner under the Floating Room umbrella, packs a lot of texture into the EP’s approximately sixteen minute runtime. Stoner has crafted an effortlessly replayable EP, one that is emotionally vulnerable and relatably introspective in the same breath.
Take the leading song “Freakshow,” one of Tired and True’s slower tunes and a poignant track about the troubles of being a weirdo in the face of society’s expectations of conformity. “Everybody loves a freakshow / They don’t like the freak though / Come on baby / Why do this to me?” Stoner wonders over gently reverberated guitars, arpeggiated rhythms, and dreamy chords. It’s a moment of reflection and realization, that we are full beings composed of dark and light but society would rather us deny our multifaceted selves. It’s something Stoner confidently sings they will no longer be a part of and participate in, the dulling or diluting of the self. Introspective lyrics like these, a staple of Stoner’s writing that taps into universal emotions of self-actualization and self-doubt, are all over Tired and True.
Something notably absent from Tired and True, though, is the syrupy distortion. Floating Room’s last full-length album, 2018’s False Baptism, was a brilliant homage to ‘90s shoegaze with the modern trappings of alternative rock and indie pop. Stoner chalks this up to a separation between them and an ex-boyfriend who was in the band but left. This split gave Stoner the room to craft new music with a new lineup, music more focused on themes of disillusionment and exasperation that comes with age. While the distortion may be gone in favor of cleaner, brighter tones, Stoner hasn’t completely abandoned the grittier sound. Distortion can still be heard in the background of “Freakshow” and in the leads of “Gun.” The lack of distortion just exemplifies Stoner’s evolution as a songwriter, as they no longer need to lean on the static-y sounds to display their musical chops. It’s a testament to their growth.
That Floating Room’s latest EP is titled Tired and True, in a year where everyone is truly tired, is no accident, as Stoner has landed on universal emotions set against lusher soundscapes. The attitude of “Held Open Door,” juxtaposed by the blooming guitars and staccato drums and bouncy bass, is the best indication of not just Stoner’s musicianship but also their frank songwriting. “Life / Held open the door / And then it tripped me / On my way in,” Stoner croons over glittery cords. “I know I am strong / But strong don’t get me high.” Stoner may be tired, and maybe that’s inevitable with the tumultuous year that 2020 has been but Floating Room has never been truer.