The Morning Benders’ new EP, Boarded Doors is a starry-eyed collection of feel-good pop songs. There’s no pretension, no grandiose ideas, and nothing to go home and kick yo momma about. So should we disregard bands for not trying to push any type of envelope or should we reward a band that is so confident in their songwriting that writing simple pop songs to share with the rest of the world is sufficient? Well obviously there is no place in this world to disregard anyone who is trying to be even a little bit creative and in the case of The Morning Benders, it would be hard to say anything bad about these guys. Their music is instantly likeable. Imagine The Shins at a bonfire on the beaches of Northern California in the 60s. What’s not to like?
Boarded Doors clocks in at just over sixteen minutes, so to the advantage of the listener, it’s real easy to digest. All of the songs sound like bittersweet laments written for someone that may or may not exist. “Chasing A Ghost”, a perfectly named song, is a slow walk down a hallway with a broken flashlight. The vocals sound as if they’re coming from the walls. “Damnit Anna”, the EP’s opener and highlight, is a head bobber complete with a chugging acoustic guitar, shakers, and lead singer Chris Chu’s double tracked James Mercer sounding vocals. It’s irresistibly catchy and the drum break in the middle is straight from The Beach Boys’ “I’m Waiting For The Day”, reminding us that yes, these guys are from California. Thank God.
