The Post Production – The Post Production
The Post Production – The Post Production – EP Review
Well here we go…this is new! Hand it to the duo from Comox Valley known as The Post Production – there’s a swift & smart mix of creativity & commitment that rips through the writing and performances on the six cuts from their debut self-titled EP. Right from the drop on the opening cut, “Stranger Things,” they do an extraordinary job of pulling you in quickly with a sound that could potentially take them in any direction…and quite likely, it’s not at all what you’d expect. I’ve always said it and I still stand by it – surprise is one of the best things in music…these guys have plenty of that working for them.
So…responsible for everything you’ll hear, is James Bourne designing the flow, lyrics and rap on the mic, and Nick D. Frenette composing, playing, singing the hooks and structuring his nuts off to create these collaborative, imaginative and artistic tracks on The Post Production. I’ve been in a two-man band for years myself – I’ve gotta stick up for my man James for just a moment here…because that list of credits beside Nick’s name is justifiably impressive & lengthy; it’s easy to acknowledge just how much Nick is bringing to The Post Production…all I’m saying is that when you hear what James brings to the mic, you’ve gotta recognize that there are equal-caliber strengths firing on all-cylinders and both players put in their A-game at all times. It leads to a real balance in the music of The Post Production that I found entirely wicked…you can rely on the music to entertain every bit as much as the vocals will at all times.
Which is a good thing of course…believe me, in a two-person crew, if one shits the bed, you notice.
LISTEN to that ominous beginning! For reals – that first twenty-five seconds or so makes it sound like The Post Production could head into anything from metal, alternative, rap…it’s got that haunting kind of beginning that immediately feels like it could launch into something massive – and they deliver on that promise. After the thunder subsides and the atmosphere clears out, the beat & low-end rhythm that takes over is freakin’ EXQUISITE folks. And as if this song needed any additional reasons to keep listening to it, Nick comes in to rock the mic in a seriously rad mix of artistic style & creepy tone that perfectly reflects the sentiment of the lyrics he’s written on “Stranger Things.” It’s like a Bowie-meets-Manson kind of sound…somewhere that exists between Prick and She Wants Revenge at first…and then maybe at in some like…what IS that?… Rap comes roaring into “Stranger Things” after the first minute passes by with James on the m-i-c…and The Post Production find themselves about one barking dog sound short of rumbling into DMX territory…his style has got that gruffness and serious edge to its tone. They’ve got noticeable rhythm & flow, complex rhymes and vivid imagery in their words and having these multiple dimensions to what’s happening in the vocals of The Post Production proves to be an advantage for these two…a versatility you’ll find continues to be an asset in their music over the course of these six expressive cuts.
“FULL WILLIE NELSON BLAZE” ahead! The Post Production take their rhymes for a serious ride through the complex & wild lyricism detailing life as a stoner on “You Know What Time It Is?” Apparently it’s 4:20! The way I see it, it’s always 4:20 somewhere ain’t it? Sounds like my friends from BC in The Post Production would likely be inclined to agree between bong-hits. Speaking of that…be right back…
Alright…so…*cough *cough…where was I? Hmm. Wait a minute…let’s back up a step…where AM I?
This is some good weed. Damn!
Right…I’m talking about how “You Know What Time It Is?” is the kind of stoner-tune I really dig. The reason WHY that is, is because a cut like this actually runs deep on SO MANY levels…and you can get right into that – OR, if you just want a great cut to put on while you’re smokin’ your shrubs, this is a solid candidate. I’ll always defend the stoners out there that put the work in – and The Post Production can clearly handle their greens; LISTEN to the complexity of the words and how well they work with the theme! LISTEN to the SICK amount of pop-culture & musical-references dropped on these bars along the way! LISTEN to the BRILLIANT hooks of this song’s chorus when the singing takes over for the rap for a quick minute. I’m more of a professional smoker/music-listener than I am any kind of professional writer – so let me just say from atop my mountain of expertise that the chorus of “You Know What Time It Is?” SOUNDS like what it’s like to find that amazing high we all crave & seek. Don’t go judging me now…more than half of you know exactly what I mean…for those of you that don’t, make sure you listen to this cut to get an audible idea of what it is you’re missing. I like the whole track though…brings something different to the record already, the rap is oddly thought-provoking for what you’d normally find in a ‘stoner’ track – I love that they’ve put their genuine personality on display here in this cut…it felt like we all get to know what The Post Production is really all about a bit more through this expressive and clever second track. I love the mix on that chorus and how distant those guitars & vocals sound…loved the sample ending…”You Know What Time It Is?” is just a hella cool experience all-around.
And hells yes I know what time it is…for the record.
The Post Production understands RHYTHM AND POETRY…listen to the slick way the words are threaded into the otherworldly atmosphere of “Driftin’ Off Through Space” – that’s a sick flow and a real lesson on how to hit the bars with perfect energy, pace and tone to fit the music. This third cut is also another huge departure from what we’ve already heard…cohesive through the vocals, but you can hear thematically it’s reaching for different areas, musically it heads into its own unique direction…and once again, these two have wrapped this idea up in a seriously tight experience. The tone & rasp in James’ vocals is full of character, full of texture…dude delivers flawless bars with real personality. I don’t know that I can ever dig on the idea of making time to shout-out Steven Seagal in a track, but hey, to each their own right? I kid, I kid…it’s all good with me when it’s worked into a flow this tight and an energy this cohesive…Nick’s put together something seriously inventive and adventurous in sound and ambition and it was rad to hear that James has got his back by finding a way to complement the ideas he was going for in the music on a lyrical level. They might be making a slight trade for a more artistic approach & less straightforward hooks as a result…maybe…it’s hard to say honestly; I think that flow in the rap has a ton of appeal to the ears and the music has its own uniqueness, but I can understand that this track by comparison to the rest might take longer to establish its impact with the people of earth.
I think a great argument could be made for “Still In Motion” to be a lead-single from The Post Production – this might just be their most widely-accessible tune. Overall, I’m convinced they’ve consistently found a way to bring people in to listen from multiple angles already, but it really feels like the amount of artistic expression & innovation in the music and lyrical-flow took another huge step in the right direction here. The hooks are massive – the rap’s got’em all the way through with a completely slick flow…and once again, those sung-out chorus-hooks from Nick absolutely take it all to a memorable place; no matter when I heard them on this record, I always felt like I wanted MORE of what he was doing. According to the credits, there’s a featured player in the mix here as well…Dallas Ritchie lends a massive assist and makes a huge contribution with the songwriting and guitar on “Still In Motion.” I gotta admit though…it’s that bass-line that creeps in first that really sets it all off – but the entire track is a seriously strong one. You can hear the potential for where The Post Production could go from here and how this collaboration opened the doors to yet another new dimension of sound that you’ll find over the course of the six tunes. Loved the rap…I’ve loved it every time…loved the singing…loved that every time too; I think the chorus is exceptional once again, and that pre-chorus that leads into it hints at a Mike Patton-like potential in Nick. The Post Production aren’t exactly the easiest band to pin-down to a sounds-like or any particular comparison really…but I think it’s pretty undeniable that something spectacular is brewing here.
They trip into another wicked alternative-funk rhythm that mixes SO MANY rad things into one on “Hypochondriac” that meets somewhere in the middle of smoothness of She Wants Revenge and the creative fun of a band like Fog, Clor, or even The Flaming Lips, only armed with a more expressive singer in Nick. If we’re talking about the indie-scene…we’re talking about something closer to the imagination you’ll find in A Truth Called Nothing in the lyrics & vocals and the awesome rhythm and groove of a band like Magik Spells. I’m a fan of ALL of this stuff…and I’m a big fan of the inventive structure that “Hypochondriac” has too. The first two-minutes and fifteen-seconds (ish) grips and RIPS…everything sounds so stylistic, perfectly performed and insanely cool – that bass-line riff is absolutely WICKED to listen to. The rap from James takes over with tight bars in the breakdown, which also serves as a seriously smart cut in between the two main personalities of this song. Once the rap takes us rhythmically through the low-end rumble, the entire song brightens up for a seriously inspired ending…likely my favorite moment on the entire record. The last minute-plus of “Hypochondriac” could have completely been its own song; The Post Production unleashes a set of extremely accessible hooks and tremendously loose, fun and expressive melody at the end of this tune. It’s performances like this that tell you exactly how committed this band is – what could have easily been an ‘awkward’ sound tone-wise, is completely laid out masterfully here – Nick OWNS that wildness on the mic and really allows himself to get right into this moment in time. As a result of him being so fully invested in the performance, everything that might sound bizarre actually sounds like it was completely meant to be…that speaks to the confidence required to execute an idea as it deserves. “Hypochondriac” has multiple dimensions and many reasons to love it – it’s probably the most adventurous track on the record structurally, the vocals from both put a TON of personality into the mic on each & every part and the music never ceases to find ways to impress with its flexibility and clever choices in sound. It’s because of all that, it’s likely to be agreed upon as one of this record’s most thoroughly satisfying songs by any/all that end up listening to The Post Production.
“Felt So Alive” brings the record home, gliding smoothly on a cushion of air as the art of being a wordsmith is put right into the spotlight for their final cut. The rap has been impressive the entire way through this record, but perhaps never more-so than here at the end of the record…lyrically, this is nailed as tight as can be, and the thought-provoking words, movement and pace make for a final moment that carries an audible weight & impact, coming to a conclusive finish that is certainly as memorable as it is chill. It might be their most laidback sound on the record, but the level of focus is still as sharp and intense as ever. Loved the accenting synth sounds & keys added into the melody when the lyrics break, loved the impressive way every word of the rap from James is delivered in this final cut. The hook in the chorus works well…kind of puts an added personal touch & extra emotion into the final song that you can feel & hear. For the record, I don’t think it was just the multiple mid-review bong-hits – I think that The Post Production has really got something here on these six songs…there’s a genuinely organic sound and indefinable magic in this project that I can ultimately see evolving in many badass ways over the course of their future. They’ve already started strongly with six highly unique ideas and a significantly recognizable sound of their own…I’m excited now with all that I’ve heard, but believe me when I tell ya, a project like this just gets better & better as they lock into their creativity, madness & music over time.
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