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SondorBlue – ‘Realometer’ (Review)

SondorBlue’s highly anticipated debut EP, Realometer comes out tomorrow, October 29th 2016. I want to start this review by congratulating everybody involved on a job well done. That means, of course, Andrew Halley, John Sheehan, Connor Hollifield, and Drew Lewis of SondorBlue, and many more. Realometer was recorded at both Truphonic Studios with Mel Washington, and also at the home studio of local producer Christian Steinmetz. The butterfly cover art was done by SondorBlue friend Elsa Cousins. As a whole, Realometer is a solid debut EP from one of Charleston’s favorite up-and-coming bands.

Here’s what the band had to say about the album title:

The EP is called “Realometer” inspired by a term that Thoreau writes about. It’s the idea of creating a spectrum of what you, the individual, consider and gauge as “real.” These songs are very real to us and derived from real experiences.

Now, to give you a better idea of what this record brings to the table, below you will find a track-by-track breakdown of SondorBlue’s four song debut EP. I like to think of the EP as a short story, following the same character into and out of a relationship, emerging on the other side in a much better personal state than he was going into it. This view of the EP kind of mirrors what we learned in the SondorBlue Documentary, where the band talks about the growth they experienced during the process of making this record.

The first track, “More Than Reality”, is a great way to start off the EP. This song that got some radio rotation on Charleston’s 105.5 the Bridge a couple months ago, so it’s a song that many people in Charleston have heard before. “More Than Reality” sets the tone for the rest of Realometer. This song is about trying to find somebody to share life’s experiences with, whether it’s a just one night stand, or something more real, that lets you peer past the veil of existence, and see “something more than reality”, while at the same time knowing that what seems good at first is not always good in the end. This song is incredibly catchy, so don’t blame us if it gets stuck in your head.

Track two on SondorBlue’s Realometer, “The Moon and You”, is thematically similar to “More Than Reality”, but it seems our voyager has finally found somebody to love this time around. This isn’t just a normal companion, either. Nope. “The Moon And You” blurs the line between the moon and our earthly space traveler’s lover, with his head in the clouds, unable to tell the difference between the two. You can’t argue with the fact that the dudes in SondorBlue have some serious vocal range, but I think this song does the best job on the record of showcasing their true vocal strength. That chorus is just impressive.

Next up is “Linger”, a song about two people who don’t seem to be right for each other, but their love holds them together regardless. The theme in this track, as the title suggests, is hanging on to something that should have ended a while ago. What I really like about “Linger” is the buildup in sound from beginning to end. The song starts out quiet and slow, and the tempo and loudness gradually builds as the song progresses. The song ends with an instrumental breakdown and a powerful vocal crescendo, and then eases into the next track; or the next stage in the life of our protagonist.

Closing up Realometer is “Extra! Extra! (What’s Going On?)”, another song that those of you who have been following SondorBlue have probably heard before. “Extra! Extra!” has a bit of a shift in focus from the love story of the previous three tracks, but if we stick with the idea of the same person being the speaker in all four of these songs, we can see that the character has come to terms with his failed search for love, and is now concerned with the bigger picture. Out of his daze, he can see that there are much bigger things to worry about than finding somebody to put on a pedestal. He is now more mature, and “just trying to survive” in a world that becomes more and more insane on a daily basis.

Look out for Realometer dropping tomorrow, and don’t miss SondorBlue’s EP release show at the Music Farm on Sunday, October 30th. The Music Farm staff has requested Halloween Costumes for the event. You know the drill. Tickets are only $10. Get ’em here.

UPDATE: Stream Realometer by SondorBlue below: