decemberagain has waxed existential on Poems From a Parking Lot, a five-track collection that serves as the Perth musician’s debut EP
The decemberagain project — a brainchild of songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Tom Crocker — opens with twinkling guitars and whirring ambience of ghost in the wall.
The track begins in the coaxing vein of a lullaby, complete with glittery keys and rhythmic, punchy 808 beats, before transcending into something altogether more impactful.
At any given moment on ghost in the wall, decemberagain is dipping his toes into an eclectic sonic palette, from the bouncy trap pop of the production to the distinct emo sneer of his commanding vocals.
This diversity of sounds — which comes to include whispery vocal riffs and jangly guitar melodies — is emblematic of the entire EP, which sees decemberagain flit between a rich tapestry of genres without feeling like a mish-mash.
On second track i don’t need another winter decemberagain veers more firmly towards a soft rock sound, at least in the opening moments, while holding space for his trademark rap cadences and propulsive snares.
Serving as a more sombre entry, the track swerves towards a hip-hop territory reminiscent of The Kid Laroi, complete with rapid-fire bars and reflections on unrequited love and an inability to let go.
Proving that his pen is equally as powerful as his production, decemberagain peppers incisive ruminations all throughout Poems, as complimented by his clear knack for beat-making.
On the third track and single it’s not your fault, the musician is accompanied by rustic guitar strums while musing on a troublesome relationship that left him “waiting on the porch.”
Just when you think you have an idea of decemberagain’s trajectory, he changes sonic lanes with the finesse of a producer ten years’ his senior.
it’s not your fault changes pace with panning vocals and sauntering R&b rhythms, while penultimate track passenger seat somehow feels like both a pop ballad and an emo anthem all at once.
Perhaps the only thing decemberagain is bound by in his genre-crossing efforts is his storytelling, which remains an evocative and gripping throughline across the entire tracklist.
On final track piece of me, the musician culminates his EP-wide ruminations on heartbreak and trauma with a tender message about mental demons and the substances used to quell them.
It’s the kind of intimidate and diaristic storytelling that’s become all-too-rare in a genre like hip-hop, and decemberagain bears his soul in what feels like a breakout moment.
Listen to decemberagain’s new debut EP Poems From a Parking Lot below.
