EP Review: FOXTRAX Debut EP ‘The Cabin’

New Yorkians FOXTRAX have dropped their debut EP ‘The Cabin’, enlisting some big name help to get these five indie-pop jams to your ears.

The trio met when they were kids, but only got together to make music a year ago. They booked out an eponymous cabin in North Carolina to self-produce the EP, but when producer Ben Roulston (Wolf Alice, Florence + the Machine) heard about it, he had the band come in and re-record for a fresh mix.

The result is a catchy and slickly-produced EP, covered in intricate guitar work, thundering drums, and funky bass lines that’ll have you humming and toe-tapping along.

The rolling drums and guitar work initially made me think I’d accidentally stumbled upon a cover of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Maps. However, when the EP’s first track Go It Alone opens up into a half disco, half guitar-pop jam, it comes together nicely. The dancey drum beat and octave-popping bass line in the chorus blend well with the swirling guitars to create an upbeat sound that blends perfectly with the sentiment that you can in fact get out there and “Go it alone”.

Underwater is a guitar-led track that has lashings of sugary sweetness juxtaposing well against the somewhat melancholy and downtrodden lyrical content. Once more the bass line sets a dance feel throughout the verses, however in choruses the track sounds more like an alt-rock number that Eskimo Joe might have released in a bygone year.

The drums have been given a bit of a showcase in the choruses as they change from a rolling thunder to a surfy beat. In the bridge, a subtle but intricate guitar solo echoes across the eerie silence to add a feel of dynamic difference.

“…the song builds thanks to some great drum fills and splashing cymbals to become a bit of an indie guitar jam.”

As the name might suggest, Dark of the Night is a shift in tone from the first two tracks on the EP, with a lot less of the pop-shine coming through. In the verses, the vocals are highlighted alongside a metronomic beat and a very quiet guitar line. Another, even more subtle, guitar line shines through in some of the gaps in the vocals, adding an interesting layer. In the choruses this is compounded with a strong bass line that amps it right up. A very cool and almost Coldplay-esque guitar solo builds from the quiet in the bridge into the final chorus that really turn the light on in this darker track.

On The Run sounds like the hopeful rebuilding after the more melancholy sounds of the previous track. Though it is still fairly subdued at the outset, the song builds thanks to some great drum fills and splashing cymbals to become a bit of an indie guitar jam. Lyrically, the track talks about leaving someone behind to make something better of yourself, and vocalist Ben Schneid’s chorus line, “I’m on the run now/To make it to the radio”, flows nicely with the grandiose of the drumming and the stop-start guitar chords.

Compared to the other tracks on the EP, final track I’ll Be Back For You somewhat lets the team down with its largely same-sounding chords. A Santana-like solo does save the song towards the end as it transitions from a plodding track to a more upbeat sound that’s reminiscent of the earlier tracks on the release. Thanks to this late change in the song the EP does finish on a strong note, but this song does miss some of the magic of some of the others.

The pop shine in ‘The Cabin’ is reminiscent of a number of different artists, and at times you’ll feel like FOXTRAX have borrowed liberally from some of your favourites. But they always put their own spin their tracks, and overall the EP comes together strongly.