Pillow Talk: Faux Fur EP

There's no shortage of country/Americana acts coming out of Saytown, with a few trying to appropriate the indie label to cut away from the pack. Only Pillow Talk (of both here and Austin) is turning that trick both honestly and effectively on their debut 7-inch EP Faux Fur. This release is a mopey slice of grown-up-but-not-old alt-country cut from the cloth of indie bands at their most western. Think Heartbreaker-era Ryan Adams with the color of Rilo Kiley and the soul of Neutral Milk Hotel. The album opens with a title track that doesn't sweep so much as glide. Songwriter Jerid Morris has a straight-faced charm, singing, "For the record, this record is my lullaby," implying that he wrote the song to help him sleep. Buried beneath the quirkiness are songs of righteous heartbreak. "Baby's Breath" begins with the exact same guitar lick (cheeky!) as the title cut, but veers into Morris confessing he's taking an unfulfilled love to the grave. His imagery of lovers' footprints fading from a hillside and wind dancing in his beloved's hair are on some James Joyce shit. This EP is for lovers, both together and apart.

★★★ 1/2 (out of 5 stars)