By ROB DUGUAY
When he’s not shredding on guitar with the Providence theatrical blues rock act Corinne Southern & The Constellations, Joseph Tudino is making his own music under the name Electric Paisan. He refers to the project’s sound as “sadboi avant-garde dad-punk” and – from listening to his new Cigarettes and Dandelions EP – I totally get where he’s coming from. With that being said, I can definitely elaborate my thoughts pertaining to this record that came out on May 27. There’s a blend of powerpop, alternative and grunge elements with a straightforward approach. I enjoy how it showcases Tudino’s talents on guitar as well.
The record’s theme entails the internal struggle we often face when it comes to finding faith in ourselves and our abilities. It was also done in completely DIY fashion with Tudino taking on every aspect of the songwriting and recording process.
“The focus of the EP is mental health, especially the struggle to heal and to find your voice and confidence,” said Tudino. “The first three tracks focus on those themes explicitly, but for me the last two tracks tie in tangentially. ‘Sweet Tarts and Space Kisses’ for me is as much of a tender song as it is a type of escapism while also soothing. Including ‘Climate Don’t Change a Thing’ on this EP serves as a deeper dive on the last verse of ‘Sadboi Blues,’ which discusses the mental anguish that is caused on many of us by the world’s problems.”
“I recorded this EP myself in my bedroom,” Tudino added. “I played every instrument and I recorded, produced, mixed and mastered it myself. The vast majority of the instruments are acoustic, but there’s some resampled drums and MIDI synths.”
Along with the tracks that were just mentioned, “Steel Fall Apart” and “Button Factory” are good songs. There’s some tongue-in-cheek and vague political topics examined in the entire EP to coincide with the introspectiveness. The record has an authentic vibe to it with no fancy production, audio filler or redundancy present; it’s sort of raw, but the sound quality of the music is substantial – which is impressive while knowing that Tudino did it all himself. If you like guitar riffs and up front, honest lyrics, then you should check out this new release.
There are several ways to check Tudino out. You can stream and/or purchase Electric Paisan’s new EP either on Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, Deezer and pretty much anywhere else you listen to music. You can grab a physical copy either on June 21 at the Midway Cafe in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Massachusetts, at the Strange Brew Pub in Norwich, Connecticut, on June 28 or the next time Tudino is playing locally around Rhode Island. To keep tabs on future shows and announcements, follow the project on your favorite social media platform at @electricpaisan. In the meantime, plug in, press play and enjoy.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here