Album Review: Andrew McMahon - 'The Pop Underground EP'

After retiring the moniker of Jack's Mannequin mid last year, fans of the band eagerly awaited news of Andrew McMahon's next musical outing. After having a successful career as part of two prominent bands (Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin), expectations were high when McMahon announced his debut solo EP, 'The Pop Underground'.

The first track, 'Synesthesia', sets the tone for the EP, showcasing a new side to McMahon's music. The synth driven song embraces the fun, poppy sounds of some of his previous work in a way that was never seen before on any of his previous releases.

'Catching Cold' explores similar musical themes, with a much darker tone to reflect the sombre themes in the lyrics, with McMahon singing about 'highs becoming lows'. A strong contrast to the next song, 'Learn To Dance', a hopeful tune exploring the idea of young love, which is very reminiscent of some of his previous work with Jack's Mannequin.

Final track 'After The Fire' explores similar musical ideas, but pushes them far enough to be able to stand on its own, taking the pop-influenced sounds throughout the other tracks to an extreme that could make anyone want to dance.

For fans of Jack's Mannequin, there's enough familiarity here to keep you coming back, while also having covered enough new ground that you won't get bored of hearing the same thing all over again. All in all, this is a strong addition to Andrew's already stellar catalogue.

1. Synesthesia

2. Catching Cold

3. Learn To Dance

4. After The Fire