Ernie's Dog Park EP fits pretty well with the nervous energy of Figi Afterglow (done under the moniker of Agggrocragg), a debut EP that really stood out as infectious indie-rock done right. Things remain the same on this trip as their music's plucky, wispy and maintains a charm that fits the cap recently worn by It Looks Sad (which frontman/bassist, Lamont Brown, has deep roots in). This style fits label-mates such as Kississippi and Blis. which makes you wonder if Soft Speak's looking to form a stable of these indie/emo bands. If so, they've got good taste.

Brown has a very distant and uncaring disposition on the mic but you still feel the tension and passion in the lyrics. "Sweatpants" and "Shiner" are great examples of this as his low registered vocals weave their way around chords that feel like something you'd expect to hear from Interpol. There's a neat instrumental edge to them that finds its bed in how melodious and dire Ernie's brand comes off. Apart from the reverb-laden atmosphere, the catchy hooks, slick riffs and thickly-draped basslines, Dog Park, establishes itself as four tracks that offers a lot of promise for a band that isn't doing anything too original (in terms of sound) but which still smartly plays off all the genre's strengths.