Banging drums, belting guitar riffs, originality, and a lack of structure are all things that I typically look for in my music choices. Despite not meeting any of these criteria, brent ii was not as bad as I anticipated.

As someone who was unfamiliar with both singers Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler, I had no idea what to expect when I listened to their newest extended play record, brent ii. In the end, my feelings towards the EP were mixed, unlike the style of the songs.

I found myself in a love-hate relationship with brent ii because of my likes and dislikes in music being blended in this EP. Generally, I enjoy songs with switching vocals. The duo voices allow me to picture scenes, let my imagination wander, help me follow the story, and keep me interested—that’s what kept me going through this particular EP. Zucker’s and Cutler’s voices were different enough to be fresh but similar enough to mesh well.

On the contrary, the album as a whole did not have the variety I seek out in my music choices. Besides a select few, many of the songs sounded similar. When listening to each song consecutively in the EP, I can understand how some of the songs would blend together. Additionally, the songs did tend to slightly overlap to elaborate how they are connected. While this helped the flow, it also snatched away much of the individuality of each song.

“This is how you fall in love” was among the minority of songs that shined through on their own. The song was quite slow and romantic, which is not typically my style. However, for a certain mood, “this is how you fall in love” is beautiful and well-paced. While it did pick up in beat momentarily, the song was a great romance piece as its soft self.

In addition to this, “parent song” was pretty similar but had a different background spirit. The instrumentals made me feel as though I was driving through the peaceful countryside and then settling down in a cozy cabin. Any song that takes me on an adventure to a new location is a tune I can appreciate.

On the other hand, “emily” felt a little on the basic side. It had a similar theme to other popular songs and the rest of the songs in brent ii. When the beat picked up and Zucker’s voice rose in volume, I found myself a little more in my comfort zone, but these moments quickly died back down to the near whispers the majority of the song was sung at.

Unfortunately, since the switching vocals are what got me through the EP, “brooklyn boy” and “the stars” didn’t let my imagination flow as much as the rest of the songs did. However, this is not to say I disliked the songs.

“Brooklyn boy” didn’t pick up until near the end, but the lyrics were catchy, and the finale was a masterpiece on its own. “The stars” didn’t have such an explosion, so it was my least favorite track on the album. There was a more old-school sounding beat in “the stars,” though, which was a small booster to my satisfaction.

Even though I wouldn’t normally add any songs to my playlist from brent ii, I couldn’t say I particularly disliked any of the songs. Both Zucker and Cutler are very talented and sang in a style that suited their voices. Although I do not love brent ii, I appreciate Zucker and Cutler performing it in such a way that let their strong suits shine through.