Misc. Day – Comedic Footprint

Wyatt Shears is not just 1/2 of The Garden with his twin brother Fletcher Shears but also dives into his own separate full-length project with experimentalism as the basis for creation. Enjoy, while being less refined than their joint venture, has staples of surf-rock but also drum and bass undertones where his 2014 project, Legacy is 10 tracks over 30 minutes of uplifting bounce.

The opening track “Party Bounce” is honestly a goofy refreshment with reduced rigid lines where Shears’ vocals hit the open air over warping strings and tom-runs on percussion. His vocals that switch from angelic to nearly spoken word are ultimately graceful and while sonically stimulating, are more of a visual experience through his storytelling and timbre. Describing “You can chase me down the street but I won’t run. We just pulled up the party this will be fun… We’re here — we’re there – I’m in – she’s In,” with bass lines that command the release.

Legacy is essentially able to float over tracks with focuses on the percussion and on the often low-tuned bass that shines throughout tracks like “Sly” or even the title-cut, “Legacy.” As “Sly” opens up, the punk influence starts to break through the wall with harder rallies of instrumentation against a dash and rush of momentum. Enjoy seems to be at its best when Shears is able to write catchy backing music pieces and worry about progressions rather than vocalization. He uses his stacked vocals on “Sly” like layers to a puzzle, almost as if the voice was an instrument instead of being a leading focus.

Later though, his work on the third piece, “Legacy” forms a bond to the more relaxed and ballad style that can thrive under impact rather than speed. His musical formation is continuously entertaining and moving, grasping at the heart through his use of openness. The atmosphere that Shears can create and craft through just two elements becomes the bread and butter in some sense, but then as additional elements are sprinkled in with both his vocals and backing instrumentation, Enjoy becomes more than just a side project.

The fully fleshed ideology and true adaptability is proven through the last two tracks, “Our Territory” which is a hard snap on the drums and creates both a mosh pit and two-step in one. Then with the final track, “Smooth (R3mix)” that is strangely funky and addictive to the ears. Just like the Rubik’s Cubes that adorn the cover art, Enjoy is a mind-bending puzzle that continues to impress and has moments of honest confusion that lead to one overarching goal.

From top to bottom, Legacy is exhilarating and one of the best ways to spend 30 minutes. The infiltration of jungle sounds and smooth bass lines are enough to pack gentle surprises in every track that jumps into frame.

Listen To Legacy Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify/iTunes