Maybe Dynamite - The Bobby EP

Maybe Dynamite

The Bobby EP
self-released; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

I for one enjoy stories, especially stories about dogs. The band Maybe Dynamite that mixes post-hardcore, math and punk rock formed in early 2014 and just came out with their first effort entitled The Bobby EP, which revolves around the story of a dog. In their own words it’s “the story of one dog's journey through love, loss, longing and a spiritual awakening.”

There are a couple of minor issues with the EP so let’s talk about those first. First off if you are telling me a story about a dog I want to understand what you are saying. I strongly recommend that they add the lyrics on their Bandcamp page. In addition to that I noticed there were some issues with the dynamics of the vocals. I don’t think it’s always necessarily good to slam vocals with Chris Lord Alge style compression but with this type of music and a necessity to hear the lyrics I think it would have benefited. All this being said this is a DIY effort and overall sounds better than most. 

Musically, I really enjoyed the technically proficient and creative aspects of the instrumentation. The guitars have some crazy good moments that lie somewhere between Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves. There were a number of times where I had to turn back the clock and listen to a five-second segment again. Take for example the opener “Charlie Daniels Is God.” The band creates a loose canvas of guitar scales, ambient noises and drums for the female vocalist to sing over. 

I was really appreciating the jazzy groove they introduce on “Amber Herd” as well as the hardcore breakdown they bust into not too much later. There is definitely some engaging, original aspects of the music I was beginning to hear. 

The centerpiece of the album is the seven-plus-minute “Bobby.” They implement some downright funky, vertical bass and guitar lines on this track. The band goes through a copious amount of changes eventually landing on their feet.

Overall, The Bobby EP is a strong first effort that displays a couple of talented musicians. They still have some tweaking to do and I can tell they are still feeling things out. At this point they seem to be on the right track.

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