Kaitlyn Shuko Tosses A Musical Stone

Stone Tossing EP cover art

Next up on your playlist: Brooklyn-based Kaitlyn Shuko’s mini EP, Stone Tossing. Consisting of two songs, “stone tossing” and “b.b.”, Kaitlyn Shuko shows she is no stranger to the world of lo-fi music. Both songs channel musical influences from Clairo to Lily Allen and take the listener on a pleasant and calming journey through her indie-pop soundscape.

It is important to note that these are short songs- “Stone Tossing” is 1 minute and 32 seconds long, while “b.b” clocks in at 1 minute and 11 seconds. The EP’s length can be seen as the perfect break from reality and both songs sets the listener up in a dreamlike state. The nature of lo-fi elements combined with vocals and reverb provide for the ideal music listeners should expose themselves to if they ever needed to take time off, even for a short amount of time.

Kaitlyn Shuko/photo by Paolo Salud

Both the EP and first song title, “stone tossing”, use a heavily distorted piano hook, along with Shuko’s soft voice to set the scene. The lo-fi beat then kicks in, signifying an introduction to this new environment. The minimal lyrics indicate that perhaps we are listening to Shuko’s most vulnerable thoughts and feelings. The piano carries the listener through the song, ending by putting a halt to the instrument as Shuko’s defining lyric seeps into the record: “can you see right through me?”

This directly flows into “b.b.,” another calm entry, a similar sounding bop that does not shy away from fun. The song also taps into Shuko’s jazz influences. In its abrupt ending, listeners are left to wonder if Shuko finished her thought, or if the ending of this EP is up to interpretation . Regardless, this EP is a guaranteed listen and is available on streaming platforms.