Track listing: Way To Know, And You Know Why, Hard Enough, Sometimes Wrong, And You Know Why (TV Mix), Way To Know (TV Mix)

A couple months ago we reviewed "Hard Enough," the lead-off single from DownTown Mystic's new EP, On E Street (Remix). With plenty already said about that track, today we'll focus on the other 3 songs + 2 TV edits included on the record. As DownTown Mystic's 'man behind the curtain' Robert Allen shared during our interview, he's settled down into studio life more than continuing to perform out and about. And part of that shift relates to the proliferation of music sync opportunities, and the benefits of living a more stable studio-centered life than one spent out in bars and venues chasing the next paycheck. 

I'll just say it: I love this EP. It's fun, energetic, optimistic, and extremely well executed from the performances to final mix and mastering. It's just a well-done project from stem to stern.

And the melodies--that's where it's at, right? Allen confesses, "I'll get a musical idea and create a melody [&] just let whatever words come out and see if something registers." There's something so pleasing about On E Street's melodic structures. Attention is paid to the builds within each bridge, the pacing of the rhythm section. So much of On E Street is about closing your eyes, bobbing your head, and letting the melodies tear at your heartstrings and reach the very center of where nostalgia exists within your own mind.

Opening the EP is the uptempo, no-nonsense "Way To Know." Its driving backbeat sets the tone for soaring vocal harmonies and some gorgeous slide work on the guitar. Then a left turn down Lonely Street with "And You Know Why"--a classic number pleading regret and a likely missed chance with that special someone. We've all been there, and Allen sets up the song's dynamics and instrumentation to emotionally drive home the outcomes of our relationships lost...

After the aforementioned "Hard Enough" we get another banger, with "Sometimes Wrong." It drives right along almost Petty/Heartbreaker-like through the verse until the pre-chorus lifts the mood right into the hook. Wrapping up the record are instrumental "TV Mix" versions of "And You Know Why" and "Way To Know." Allen explains "they tend to use the instrumental tracks on TV shows, and without the vocals, my music is upbeat and positive sounding." These 2 tracks offer a firsthand glimpse at what a television producer might hear in DownTown Mystic's sound.

Take a listen to On E Street and checkout the bevy of new music DTM has been releasing pretty consistently over the past decade-plus. Get to know more about DTM, Allen, and this music at downtownmystic.net.