Just six months after the release of his first LP, New York based artist Renny Conti will return on March 29 with his new EP, The Horse. An early look at the EP thanks to Urban Scandal Records reveals how immensely Conti has grown as an artist in such a short amount of time. Spanning five tracks, The Horse ranges from his familiar sedated style to more upbeat alternative sounds.
The first song off the EP, “Sweetest Thing,” will take anyone familiar with Conti’s discography by surprise. The cohesive nature of his debut LP, People Floating, cemented his place as the go-to for sad-boy-indie. However, Conti manages to dismantle this reputation within the first fifteen seconds of this track. The usual slow paced tracks and depressing lyrics are nowhere to be found, instead replaced by upbeat tempos.
Next up is our personal favorite track, “Some Kinda Love”. This ballad begins with a dischordent mix of guitar notes followed by a transition into a melodic first verse. The chorus continues this bittersweet tone by mixing the harmonious instrumentation with cacophonous production. This song blends Conti’s typical slow-paced style with an optimistic view of love not often seen in his earlier releases. This fusion mixed with the dissonance of the production creates a track that is not only unique to Conti himself but to current releases as a whole.
The most bold Conti release to date, “Big Bite” was released as the first single off the EP on March 1. Instead of using this single to summarize the feel of the EP, Conti instead utilizes this opportunity to showcase a side of his artistry we have never seen before. A standout guitar riff and spitting, fast paced, lyrics, creates a slightly aggressive tone. This shift in mood creates an intriguing juxtaposition between not only Conti’s previous releases, but the rest of the EP as well.
The fourth track, “Real Happy”, utilizes an alternating structure of mellow verses and an upbeat chorus to comment on the nature of life and happiness. The songwriting style is reminiscent of lazy summer days. Though they might seem slow and unproductive at first glance, days focused on just taking it slow allow a more focused outlook on the simple, yet important, intrinsic joys of life. The instrumentation also reflects these shifts throughout the song, bringing in more guitar and drums to create a more complex sound during the chorus.
Finally, the EP closes with its namesake, “Back on that Horse”. This track echoes the struggle between feeling strung out and exhausted, but still managing to pick yourself up and carry on. Though at first the pace of the song can be interpreted as sluggish, there remains an encouraging undertone that feels finalizing, yet hopeful. Closing the EP with this song offers closure to the collection, yet leaves the listener pondering the future. The Horse, as a whole, acts as a symbol of Conti’s evolution as an artist, and makes us excited to see how he will continue to evolve in the future.
The second track off The Horse, “Some Kinda Love”, dropped today! Give it a listen and be sure to stay tuned for the music video release next week on March 22 and the full EP release of The Horse on March 29!