Ablum: Songs offline
Artist: Eichlers
Released: February 01, 2024; Self Released
If you are anything like me, you have probably said to yourself something along the lines of “man, Ike seems like a cool dude. I bet we would have a great time sitting around a campfire making s’mores and singing songs”. Songs Offline gives listeners a taste of that experience albeit parasocially. It is Hyper Ska superstar Eichlers, acoustic guitar in hand, laptop powered off, and raw in a way that is unique; yet still filled with all the wit and charm for which he is known.
First off, this album features a brand-new song called “3rd Ring”. It is a great song about loneliness and the anxiety of reaching out for connections. It is a real sleeper hit that leaves me torn between wanting a hyper ska version but also not wanting one because it is hard to imagine that this song isn’t perfect as is. The rest of the album at its root is a selection of previously released songs given the acoustic treatment but leaving it at that is doing it a grave injustice. For example, “Nickel City” as originally released is an earnest and sincere celebration of youth spent with friends. However, the tone to the acoustic version is much more somber. It leaves you with a longing for the good times long past, not in a regretful way but rather in a joyful sadness kind of way. It really pulls at the strings of my old, jaded heart. The next song the really suck out to me on the album was “My Checkered Future”. The Songs Offline version obviously still has the same self-deprecating humor and upbeat attitude that led me to declare it my theme song. I have spent countless moments belting out the words. What you get from this version is a reduction in tempo that makes the song infinitely singable and with a chilliness that makes it so cool. It has near perfect vibes if I am being honest. My only real criticism of the album is the lack of Reade Wolcott in “2 of Us”. Given the scope of the album, it makes sense that Ike would go in solo on the song, but without Reade the song lacks the duet aspect that really made the original something special. Perhaps there is potential for redemption in this department at the next Badtime Records Show. A team-up between Ike and Reade live on stage for the acoustic rendition of this song would be truly epic. Oh, one last thing, in “Oh My God” when the piano hits it is amazing. I kid you not when I first heard it, I bit my lip and inhaled. It took me aback that much.
Song Offline is a definite hit that really showcases the range and talent of Eichlers. I honestly hope that this album is not one off and that we can expect more original and revised acoustic songs from Ike in the future.
P.S. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Evil Eichlers please contact me. Only you can keep the scene safe from mythical tricksters.
This review was originally posted on February 17, 2024 on the former LFDH substack.