Hearing Aide: My Plastic Sun EP ‘All of This’

all of this ep cover

Wednesday, August 13 marks the drop date for My Plastic Sun’s latest EP entitled All of This, another three song excursion into the dreamy, indie, power-pop, ambient world occupied by the likes of Coldplay, Radiohead and The Beatles.

The band remains hard to pin down as each track expresses a different part of their collective musical soul, echoing their influences while creating new horizons musically. Lyrically they’ll make you play each piece repeatedly, wanting to embrace the depth of the story while floating along with the swelling melodies. While My Plastic Sun continues their tradition of self-recording, they’ve enlisted the mixing magic of L.A. based, Grammy Award winner Greg Collins (U2, Gwen Stefani, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.) to take the helm. As you might expect, the results are remarkable.

The single “All of This” opens and immediately grabs your senses with a rich, layered, signature sound that will be familiar, yet fresh, to those who know the band and auditory bliss to new listeners. Roy’s experience in the studio gave Greg all he needed to mix a chart-topping single, all wrapped up for worldwide consumption. It tastes of Morrissey melancholy blended with OMD romanticism fronting The Church, only better. One moment it’s sparse and dark, the next swirling in textural waves. Johnny’s voice is so expressive and heartfelt, with a range and depth of character that is remarkable, yet somehow shows another level on this song. The band is so distinct, yet approachable, dynamic, but comfortable. The result jumps from the speakers in the shape of an instant earworm.

“We Are Free” is pure, lush, romanticism, a poetic love song highlighting Johnny’s vocal dexterity and the band’s uncanny way with a hook. Roy and Johnny keep setting the bar higher as a songwriting team; they know their strengths and magnify them through the individual talents at their demand. The soft, bright, soft, bright builds and the twist in the chorus makes you wonder if the protagonist is in love or broken-hearted, pretty much what all of the greatest pop songs do. There is an element that’s left to the listener to personalize, difficult for many, these guys make it seamless.

The ending piece, “Your Prayer” is especially poignant with the recent loss of Robin Williams at his own hand. You can feel the emotion drip from Johnny’s voice as he tells this tale of those who stand strong for another through the pain of depression and addiction. There’s an element of Thom Yorke channeling here, the soar to falsetto is emotive and realizing, the depth of topic, takes me right back to the first paragraph. Radiohead, The Beatles and splash in a little Butch Vig for color. Brilliant stuff.

From my first listen I’ve championed this band. The combination of talents and their range, mixed with the extraordinary songwriting provides the listener with a world-class product that rivals any being made today. My Plastic Sun has been opening some big doors this year receiving strong airplay on Sirius XM’s The Coffee House with “Couldn’t Love You More” being the top-played song for ten weeks running. This bringing the band the opportunity to record live in the SiriusXM studios and perform live on The Coffee House. Don’t let this band pass you by, they’re offering the new EP as a download for free on their SoundCloud page. Check them out online and spread the word, this band is on the rise!

My Plastic Sun is:

Johnny Cummings (pictured on the album cover): lead vocals, piano, synths, organ, mellotrons, lead electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass, and banjo

Roy Stein: drums, percussion, sampling and programming, assorted keyboards and synths, electric and acoustic guitars, and background vocals

Sam (Overhand Sam) Snyder: electric and acoustic guitars

Kyle Vock: electric and upright bass.

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