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- Courtesy
- Sulk Fangs, Feel Better
(Self-released, digital)
In her 2015 book Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, writer Sherry Turkle revealed a startling statistic: A three-decades-long study by the University of Michigan found a 40 percent decline in empathy among college students, with the vast majority of that drop happening post-2000. The theory is that the rise of smartphone technology directly correlates with the decrease in empathy. Whether the trend is driven by social media, big data, late-stage capitalism or some other buzzword you want to use to explain it, it seems harder than ever to put an open heart out into the world.
The new Sulk Fangs release, Feel Better, is both an outpouring of empathy and a call for some in return. The project of Burlington musician and writer Matt Bushlow, the four-song EP marks his third release since debuting in 2022 with the References EP. On each recording, Bushlow has honed in on a blend of shimmery bedroom pop and shades of basement rock, and the two approaches mix seamlessly on his latest.
The title track kicks things off with a sprightly chord progression that rides a programmed beat augmented by hand claps as Bushlow implores the listener to "feel better." You can all but see the sunshine reflecting off a pair of sunglasses as the song asks, "Are you feeling OK?" It's a simple thing, but having an album start with a vibe check goes a long way, especially when the song is as much of an earworm as "Feel Better" is.
On "Fortunate," Bushlow shows off his crooner side. While gently strumming a baritone ukulele, the multi-instrumentalist edges into Elliott Smith territory, pairing stark lyrical imagery with a falsetto-tinged melody to powerful effect. It's such a strong mode for Bushlow that when he takes a turn toward alt-rock halfway through the song, with big power chords and pounding drums, the change feels rather unnecessary. Still, should Bushlow wish to turn Sulk Fangs into a rock project, he would have an easy time of it.
When Bushlow pushes the indie folk button, as he does with "Come Around," sparks fly. One of a handful of guest musicians on the EP, Johnnie Day Durand adds a touch of otherworldly grace to a song of pure longing with a musical saw solo. (The other guests include n'goni player Craig Myers, bassist Mike McKinley, pianist Paul Ruderman, and multi-instrumentalist and engineer Eric Segalstad.) There's an element of pastoral, '70s British folk present here — think Pentangle meets indie rocker King Tuff. Indeed, Feel Better feels cut from similar cloth to Smalltown Stardust, King Tuff's latest, Vermont-yearning LP.
"Life in Paris" closes the recording in style. Bushlow sings of living in Paris and in Burlington, offering that "it ain't always what you thought it would be." Whether or not he's being literal, the specific locations here matter less than the sentiment: Life leaves us in strange places. Even when we think we're where we want to be, we might be wrong.
Feel Better is both an imperative and a wild hope, a missive of pure empathy from Bushlow. Check it out at sulkfangs.bandcamp.com.