Watch: Route 8 “I Can’t”

21 Mar 2014 — Evelyn Malinowski

Lobster Theremin is an endearing start-up label based in the UK whose brief discography will likely demand more than a small amount of your time. With work like Steve Murphy's Relax EP and Route 8's particularly well-researched and grooved-out Dry Thoughts EP, you may end up either keeping their Bandcamp among your tabs for several March and April days to come, or spending a few pounds, converted respectively. With Route 8's first track "Pacific Paradise," we enter a consoling melodic zone with a rather catchy rhythm which may or may not match what we think of when we imagine Pacific coastal beaches. For me, it seems to compliment the distant memory of long, bright, warm days still so unreachable here in the biting, agitated mountain weather.

"I Can't" starts with whistling confusion before another ensaring beat provides the track's drive. Again, it's like the song of the season lamenting exhaustedly that it can't start up. Something about the airyness between the beat and the melodic workings reminds me of Swayzak's "Speedboat," some kind of nice feeling of calm realization that there's room to grow, and that things aren't always so chaotic; life can feel chill even during a long period of uncertainty. Route 8's video reflects both this interpretation as well as some visual representation of the funny whisp sounds that persist throughout the track. It's nice to see animation paired with good deep house like this, since the genre always seemed so cartoonish in the way that it's both dark and humorous.

Order the Dry Thoughts EP over here.