Only Okay. - Foster

Only Okay.

​Foster
self-released; 2016

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

I don’t think bands do themselves any favors by being bold enough to claim their music deserves a new genre. Bands still do it all the time and the reality is the music they think is breaking boundaries is often quite classifiable. 

This is the case with the duo of Kayu Dee (vocals/bass/drums) and Sebastian Evans-Cuervo (guitar) who essentially make rock music but decided to call it “schizoid rock.” The young band is called Only Okay. Although they aren’t even old enough to go to a bar show they some potential on their EP Foster but also still have some holes in their game.

The duo can play their instruments well but still have to do some work staying in the pocket. Sometimes they get a little bit off time about a half a beat which for a DIY effort is forgivable but also something they will have to refine with their future efforts.

I enjoyed Dee’s vocals, which are versatile, dynamic and ultimately carry these songs. On top of that I think he has an aesthetically pleasing voice. Musically, there isn’t too much out of the ordinary happening. The songs revolve around basic drumbeats and some inventive guitar and bass work. There is some occasional lead guitar work but not much.

The EP starts with an intro, which is a fun short piece that is just under a minute long that reminded me of something you would hear from Minutemen. “Where's Our Magnetism, Marie?” contains a copious amount of changes. The lyrics are unique. Dee sings, “Where's our magnetism, Marie? / Confusion has captivated me / Your temperate permanent / Which leads my positivity / Came to our repulsion / Your relation negativity / Which makes us magnets / So we'll be attracted.” Even though there were some enjoyable parts I thought the song lacked a hook. “Peter Parker But Darker” contains another solid vocal performance and is about more than just Spiderman while “Shattered Mirrors” contains a chill, relaxed vibe and another fast vocal style. 

Only Okay. has some good ideas and hopefully these songs are just a taste of better things to come. I’d like to hear more definable hooks in the future but I think if they smooth out some of the rough edges that we should be hearing more of them in the future.

Become A Fan

Tweet