Dirty Projectors Make a Clean Sweep With “5EPs”

Brooklyn indie-rock band Dirty Projectors recently released a project entitled 5EPs, a 20-track collection of five individual EPs the band set out to release over the course of the year. With a unique release, every EP in the collection has something different to offer.

5EPs Cover Art / courtesy of Shore Fire Media

The five individual EPs, entitled Windows Open, Flight Tower, Super João, Earth Crisis and Ring Road are listed as five discs when streamed or downloaded.

Felicia Douglass and David Longstreth / photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg / courtesy of Shore Fire Media

Each EP highlights a different member of the band vocally, as each disk transports listeners into a new world every four tracks. The fifth and final EP in the collection highlights all members sharing verses. Showcasing the band’s growth through different styles and sounds of music highlights the diversity that exists in music genres and new music creation.

No two songs sound alike, as no two individual EPs sound alike. There is a song in this collection perfect for any situation.

On Disc 2, keyboardist and percussionist Felicia Douglass takes the vocals by storm in tracks such as “Lose Your Love.” The tones of her voice accompanied by R&B-infused instrumentals easily transport listeners away to a world where carefree dancing and singing along are much appreciated and encouraged.

Disc 3, EP Super João, features the vocals of frontman Dave Longstreth with a Jack Johnson-esque sound. Every song is slower, melodic and calming, whereas Maia Friedman fronts vocals on the first disc, taking a slightly opposite approach to Longstreth, her voice serving a bouncier and more filling sound with inspiring messages embedded in each track.

Dirty Projectors /Photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg / courtesy of Shore Fire Media

The fourth disc in the anthology is an explosion of sounds by Kristin Slipp. The EP she fronts, Earth Crisis, has everything from indie-rock to tracks with hints of pop. This EP is definitely the most intriguing of the entire collection, as no one specific sound can be tied to it.

The final EP, Ring Road is a perfect culmination to the band’s project, as all voices blend, reflecting the individuality in the past four sections, and coming together to create full guitar sounds, ear-catching hooks and infectious lyrics.

The entire collection by Dirty Projectors offers many surprises and is absolutely worth listening to.