The Casual's "Lust" EP Review - SwitchBitch Noise

Hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, The Casual is a band that captures the kind of unbridled joy and fun that the scene can never have enough of. Featuring vocalist and songwriter Zach Anderson, bassist Chris Arcand, and drummer Chris Norton, this band is a force to be reckoned with and a group you should be expecting to see between the covers of your favorite music magazines in the coming months. I had the privilege of checking out the indie electro-pop trio’s upcoming self-produced EP, Lust before its release on August 18, and I think it is more than worth a purchase.

At first listen, I couldn’t help and fall in love with their sound. Lead singer Zach Anderson’s vocals dance above the instrumentation in a manner I can only describe as the lovechild of Adam Young and Nate Ruess with the lyrical sensibility of the 2007 pop-punk resurgence.The balance between traditional instruments and synthetic sounds they produce is well-considered and decidedly well-executed. No doubt, you’ll be tapping your toes along, trying to figure out what bands the Casual sounds like, but I’ve found it difficult to truly pin them down like that. They seamlessly mix genres in a way that is nothing short of unique.

Stand-out tracks include “Princess” and their recently debuted single, “The Department”. Be warned, though, that this is an album that is comprised entirely of earworms; you’ll find yourself tapping your toes and singing along just like I did after only a few listens. One of the strongest suits of this album is its willingness to break up what could have been otherwise monotonous, but fun songs at exactly the right time to keep your attention. Another standout feature of this album is the near-seamless transition from track to track, with the exception of the lead-in to “Egg Nog”. The track features a relatively bare bones intro compared to the other tracks on the album, which once again breaks up what could have been a repetitive track listing. My only real complaint about Lust is how short it is! Nonetheless, this is an impressive debut, and if this is any indication of the quality we can expect from them in future releases, the Casual is here for the long haul.