Album photos by Steve Pyke
With the influence and combination of different genres, Naylor Stone makes his mark and shows what he’s all about through his EP, “The Game of They”. Needless to say, it was a real treat to listen to, as all six tracks have high chances of getting engraved in your mind for days by how catchy they are.
Starting off with “If It Wasn’t For The Trees”, we get a first glimpse on how – bluntly – good this EP is. The rhythm is great, and it makes a good impression for Stone, immediately coming off as one of the artists people would gatekeep because of how great they are. This song contains an ample amount of “oh”’s, making it all sound really fun to listen to.
The title track “The Game of They” also sounds fun and carefree with how upbeat it is, and how the words are delivered with brisk and a variety of highs and lows. The wordplay and lines are brilliant as well: “They say the stars are above me / they say the moon is their friend”, concealing what the song actually means.
“Love Me, Little Lazy” and “With All My Friends” sound a bit more tamer than the rest of them, providing diversity and range in what Stone can do. The former has a twinge of mystery through the melody, and how the lines are delivered to the listeners bit by bit instead of all in one go. Sensing a little desperation between each of them and “Do you even wanna know where I have been?”, it showcases emotion pretty well.
What really stands out and makes ears perk is “Top Me Up”, followed by “In The Meantime”. The riffs just pull you in, and it’s filled with hooks making them really good contenders for a song that you’d constantly go back to. The influence of rock and country shines through, making them something that will catch the (very short) attention spans of youth today, and marking them as naturally catchy tracks. In other words, the melody is still definitely up to the evolving and changing standard of the music scene.
Overall, the flows within each track are great, and this one’s an easy recommendation to people who if asked their favorite genre, would simply go “anything that sounds good”. The balance between musicality and meaning are wonderful, a worthy candidate of being replayed and listened to under any circumstance.
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About the Author
Kate Clarice Lee is a psychology major in Ateneo de Naga University with a knack for music and writing. She takes interest in playing guitar, poetry, creative writing, and lyrics that—subjectively—hit close to home. Kate mostly enjoys indie, alternative, pop & punk rock music.
