For those not in the know, Ergquist is a "supergroup" composed of Mike Yannich a.k.a. Miked to Die a.k.a. Mikey Erg (the Ergs!, Psyched to Die, House Boat, the Measure [SA] and dozens more) on vocals and guitar, and Marisa Bergquist of the Besties fame providing vocals and keys.
Their debut EP, last year's 42,069 Seconds With... is a mostly a somber, mid-tempo affair. Not much of the pop-punk of the two players' main groups seeps in, although there are familiar elements at play. Mikey's nasally voice combined with Marisa's lisp-y delivery is pretty gosh-darn adorable. They share vocal duties just about 50/50 here and they complement each other very well. Instrumentally, the EP is very minimalist, utilizing only keyboards and mostly clean electric guitars. The lack of bass and drums gives it its own vibe, and helps it stand out from the Ergs! and the Besties even further.
The highlight of this four-song set is without a doubt the Mikey-led "Song Against Ian Raymond", full of hooks and High Fidelity references ("No sex is better than the sex youâre having with him in my mind," as well as the song's title itself). It was performed solo and acoustically by Mikey for If You Make It's Pink Couch Sessions last year, but Marisa's subtle keys give the song a new depth, and really bring it to life.
A cover of Chisel's "Your Star Is Killing Me" brings the proceedings to an end nicely. Other than the obvious differences in instrumentation, they don't stray too far from the original, but it's interesting to hear the tune reworked as a duet. Mikey manages to hit most of Ted Leo's high notes. Marisa doesn't, but her vocals have their own charm.
42,069 Seconds With... is an enjoyable little EP. None of the songs are radically different from each other, but they get their job done. A little more variety, maybe a speedier song would have been welcome, but it's hard to complain about anything that has Mikey Erg singing about heartbreak on it. A worthy purchase for fans of either of these two talented musicians, even though it is a bit different from their main projects. Oh, and despite what the title may have you believe, the EP is not actually 11 and a half hours long.