James Severy - At The Circus Circus

could be considered the very definition of lo-fi bedroom produced music. ‘At The Circus Circus’ has an almost annoying, twee element to it. This is derived from his fondness for combining acoustic guitar with a bare smattering of simple drum machine and flourishes of piano

‘Do The Circus Circus’ is not without its appeal, though the song does tend to meander without any particularly discernible chorus. Oddly he leaves the best song till last. ‘Death of a Bus Driver’, though being over long, has a dark charm to it with Severy’s voice used to its best ability. There are some truly bizarre lyrics with are quirky rather than being interesting. He does make some attempt at social commentary but his rather limited vocal range and particular style of pronunciation may disengage some listeners.

It seems that repetition is theme of the day with James Severy. This EP is filled with eccentricities from his musical style, vocal delivery and the perplexing lack of imagination shown in the title of both songs and the EP. There is an earnestness here that does draw the listener in but there is a question over whether the more annoying elements will enable him to retain them.