Todd Wicks Dream Cruise “S/T”

Todd Wicks may not be a name immediately familiar to you. However, he is no new comer as he has been playing around Detroit for around 15 years.  Indeed, he was in an excellent band called The Prime Ministers that you really should check out. This EP, however, is his first solo release.

Anyone expecting a sort of low key, understated intro to the EP will be blown away by “Silverdome”. It’s a bright, bold and brash arena ready rocker. The high pitched vocals do take some getting used to, just because it’s at odds to the style we’re accustomed to with this style of music. Actually though, it adds something a little different to the pop/rock songs.

The sound gets a little more chart commercial, with an electro pop sensibility, on “I’ll Cry Too”. That’s something taken a step further with the very eighties sound of “Heart Pounding Love”. Ironically, given the success of bands like 1975’s, this sound is actually very ‘now’. Although for those of us old enough to remember it the first time around, it does make you feel like rolling up your suit jacket sleeves and wearing espadrilles!

Final song “Rock Yourself” throws in a last curveball, it’s a cheeky little rock number. It’s a song which brings to mind the brilliant Ezra Furman. A comparison which is actually fair to make across the whole release. Like his output, there’s a sense of mischief in these songs and an instant appeal. It’s an appeal not only to the whole EP but also to an artist, who appears a bit different and interesting. This EP has certainly left us hungry for more and we can’t wait to hear what he produces next.