Well it looks like Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock have surprised us with Antarctigo Vespucci’s second release of the year. The I’m So Tethered EP definitely has Antarctigo Vespucci’s indie power-pop sound, but compared to Soulmate Stuff, Farren and Rosenstock have definitely upped the “power” and toned down the “pop” a bit in their band’s sound for this EP.

Of the four songs on the I’m So Tethered EP, its very apparent that Farren and Rosenstock have turned up the distortion on the first three. Interestingly though, the band seems to have tried to write each song with a unique musical detail all while maintaining an overall power-pop sound and they succeeded especially with song “I Drew You Once in Art Class.” This song definitely has the most energy of the four because of it’s rockin’ guitar solo-esque main guitar riff. But what makes this song so great is the last chorus where they sing it with a bit of twist; they added a few more vocal notes to it. It’s their attention to the small details that make this song (and the other three) really come alive.

Also, Jeff Rosenstock takes lead vocals only in a part of the song “You Don’t Scare Me Anymore,” just like on Soulmate Stuff where he can only be heard singing lead vocals in a section of “Guest List Spots.” Other than that section of the song, Chris Farren handles the lead vocals masterfully on the rest of this EP as he always does.

The I’m So Tethered EP ends on a softer note with the song “Come To Brazil.” It’s a tune that is very uncharacteristic of Antarctigo Vespucci’s sound because the whole song is based on a drum machine with the addition some light electric piano/synthesizer, soft-sounding guitar, and backing vocals that have a bit of a “call and response” feel to them. The overall calmness of this song makes it a good closer for this EP.

If you are a fan of Soulmate Stuff or either band Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock have been in respectively, there’s a very good chance you will like this EP. If you are new to these artists, believe me, this is a very fun release.

Note to my fellow vinyl nerds:
500 copies of this EP were pressed in fluorescent orange vinyl and 500 were pressed in opaque blue vinyl.