Kind Monitor: Somebody Saves My Life Most Every Single Day

This six-track EP is a wonder of nostalgia and familiarity, perfectly balanced with enough emotion and nuance to simultaneously feel utterly original. The first thought inspired by the lead track “Sharks” is ’90s garage band music, à la Scott Pilgrim. Somebody Saves My Life Most Every Single Day is a perfect introduction to the type of music you wish Chris Garneau and Final Fantasy would make. Kind Monitor is the brainchild of shy New York-based singer-songwriter Joshua Aaron Guthals. The shyness is evident on every tune, as Guthals is careful not to over-enunciate his vowels or belt his intoxicating melodies. The songs are deceptively simple and completely captivating. These six indie-sounding tracks recall similar pop standards that many emerging indie bands are beginning to reclaim. Kind Monitor, however, stands out as authentically fragile and genuinely melancholy. The challenge Guthals faces with his next full-length release is how to balance this melancholy without succumbing to Damien Rice-style blandness.