Flint Eastwood’s EP Small Victories can be summed up in one word: fierce.

Jax Anderson, who introduces herself as “Flint Eastwood” onstage rather than just the member of the entity, is indeed fierce and full of attitude. The song “Oblivious” from the EP is the most immediately catchy one, and after seeing Flint live I couldn’t wait to figure out which on the EP was “that” song they opened their set with. Immediately prior, Flint was calling out people in the audience to come up close and stop being posers. Even as someone who often is low key at shows, I appreciate that.

I’ve heard the name of this project float around for awhile but this EP is the first I’ve truly dug into it. This is alternative pop at it’s finest. There’s never a dull moment on this EP, and though it sometimes creeps toward overproduction, in the same train of thought I find myself questioning whether this genre can be overproduced. Opener “Find What You’re Looking For” gently punches us with a beat that seems to be loosely inspired by a mix of tribal music and dreampop, though unlike the dreampop genre the vocals are in the front of the mix – the message is present and meant to get stuck in your head. “The roadless traveler, is where you’ll find what you’re looking for” the refrain echoes. The famous Back to the Future quote comes to mind – “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” While the sound of Flint Eastwood is familiar, the message is clear – think outside the box when pursuing your dreams, or when exploring the depths of your love for someone.

While the effect of the EP is consistent, each song has it’s own distinct character. That is to say, this doesn’t come across like a concept album. But naming this release “Small Victories” seems to be in line with what Flint Eastwood is after. The road to success is often paved with small victory after victory, and not a single defining moment. I hope Flint gets that moment, but they seem to be on the right track on the slow and steady path.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/223726448″ /]

Score: 4/5

Flint Eastwood: Facebook | iTunes