Indianapolis-based project Spring Term was created by Nathan Davis, with his new EP, Kiddo, giving us six amazing tunes based around his childhood. The EP tells a chronological story, so it’s something you should listen to in order first, although all the songs are good enough to stand alone.
By Jane Howkins
Hey! opens things up with a bouncy rhythm – the percussion is used in a really interesting way here, with additional flourishes being added over time. It’s an instrumental track, featuring some cool guitar and synth motifs, following the drum beats in perfect time. The production quality is also immense, showing how well crafted the music is as a whole.
Hopscotch starts out fairly slowly, with the playful music suiting the title of the song well. Nathan’s lead vocals arrive onto the EP here, having a lovely quality to them. The programmed backing vocals also sound really cool, layering the track well. The different effects and layers are one of the things that struck me most about the Spring Term’s sound at first listen.
Tell Me Your Name is quite a catchy song, starting out with some mechanical sounds, as the autotuned vocals appear. I’m not normally a fan of autotune, but it’s used amazingly here, suiting the genre of music right down to the ground. The percussion mixes well with the synths, having a cool programmed sound to it. It’s intensely poppy, getting in your head straight away!
Title track Kiddo is one of the poppiest songs on this EP, which is really saying something considering how catchy it is overall! The way Nathan has used the percussion to add a childlike sound is immense, showing a real depth to his songwriting. The little synth melodies in the background add a gorgeous tone, with the chorus designed to get stuck inside your head on an instant!
Jellyfish increases the vocal effects further, seeing Nathan raises his voice to an even higher pitch. Despite sounding fairly simplistic at first, there’s a lot going on here, so you do need to listen to it a few times to be able to get everything! The verses introduce an almost tropical sound to this nursery rhyme-esque tune, with the chorus adding an even brighter sound to the tune.
Lune is the final track, increasing in stature as the song continues. It’s actually rather different to the other songs here, acting more as an outro. Ethereal synth effects provide an ambient sound, closing everything down nicely.
Spring Term’s unique brand of pop won’t be for everyone, but those with a more joyful nature should enjoy themselves when listening to Kiddo!
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