Album Review :
Hawkins and Silver - Pizza 'n Skateboards EP
Artist: Hawkins & Silver
Title: Pizza and Skateboards
Release Date: 06/2012
Reviewer: Sara Walz
Tracklisting:
- Pretty Mess
- Lois Lane
- Earl Grey
- Run
- Life Under the Sun
- A Better Side
What seems like a side project for Blood and Water band members Levi Prewitt and Matt Hagmann, Hawkins and Silver could end up being much more than that. Rounding out the band are former She Waves the Flag members, Jonny Gomez and Gio Hernandez to create a sound that is powerpop meets garage-rock. Teaming up with producers Aaron Madsen (Blood and Water) and Masaki Liu (Five Iron Frenzy), Pizza ‘n Skateboards is a rambunctious, fun EP that is perfectly imperfect.
“Pretty Mess” blazes the trail in pure powerpop fashion, reminiscent of a not-quite-so-polished version of a Capital Lights’ song. “Earl Grey” tells the story of a love triangle, of a boy on the outside watching the girl of his dreams fall for a boy with an accent. It’s driven by drums, gang vocals on the chorus and a guitar riff that blends right into the bridge. The most diverse sounding track on the EP is “A Better Side,” there are parts that sound downright doo wop and, I can’t lie, I like it.
Lyrically, majority of the album is light and witty but that’s not to say there isn’t any substance there. “Life Under the Sun” ponders some of life’s most meaningful questions and leaves you grappling for an answer, “Well I’m reaching out for something that I can’t get to on my own. If this is all then all is lost for me……if there isn’t something more, what are we all searching for?”
Overall: Pizza ‘n Skateboards is the exact EP you would expect to find on the iPod’s of everyone at your local skate park. It’s fun, fast, and not so pretty that you lose your street cred. Best part: you can download the entire EP for free at NoiseTrade!
RIYL: Capital Lights, Weezer, Fountains of Wayne