Greg Mendez shares twinkling and relatable Heavy Metal High EP

Philly singer-songwriter Greg Mendez has shared a new four-track collection of lo-fi electro pop to soundtrack your summer evenings. Heavy Metal High follows last year’s split EP with Rachel Lightner and home demo collection. Across the EP’s four songs, Mendez demonstrates the strength of his songwriting and his ability to craft simple but addicting sonic worlds. The EP comes ahead of Mendez’s show at Bourbon and Branch with Thin Lear and Josh Levinsky next month.

Heavy Metal High is a short project worthy of repeated listens. Three of the four tracks are under two-minutes long, and the outlier is just under two-and-a-half minutes. Rather than making them feel unfinished, the brevity of the tracks allows for the project to breathe. The whole thing sounds like a satisfying summer night where the air is beginning to cool but what’s left of the sunlight is still warm and soothing. It is deeply comforting and accessible.

Matching the tranquility of the production is the intense reliability of Mendez’s lyrics. He writes simply, allowing for listeners to easily apply their own experiences to the songs. On “Dog” he sings “I’m sorry that I misbehaved cause I had another shitty day,” which we’ve all said at some point. On the title tracks he remarks at how he “feels so alone on his cellphone,” another feeling we all share. Mendez’s lyrics, while not necessarily poetic, are invitingly plain, making the project incredibly easy to enjoy.

Listen to Heavy Metal High below. Find tickets and more information about Greg Mendez’s July 26th show at Bourbon and Branch on the XPN Concert Calendar.