Midwest emo vibes are frequent and strong on Columbus band Well Read’s EP Sink to the Curb, released on August 24. The five-track offering comes with two brand new songs and also offers new light and perspective to the previous three Well Read releases. For those raised in the Midwest, you know just how well that shuttered winters and depressed summers play into the lay of the land. The suburbs can at times be a very lonely place. But at the same time, it can be an emotional escape. If you’re in search of the latter, then Well Read has you covered on Sink to the Curb. 

The EP leads off with the freeform intimacy of “My Room.” The song showcases many familiar musical shufflings and ramblings, including the cracking of a beverage can, passive conversations, and doors opening and closing. It’s a pathway into the mind of the musician behind Well Read, Seth Tew. An artist who is very particular about the artistic world that they’re creating around them, Tew knew just what musical elements to bring to the table on this EP for a Midwest masterpiece. “My Room” is the intro to Sink to the Curb. It helps to set the intricately melancholy moods that Tew created on the EP. 

“Cul De Sac” glistens like a bright summer day. On this song is also where you’ll hear soaring space between verses, something not so apparent on previous Well Read releases. “Cul De Sac’s” stretched-out space isn’t typical to the rest of the songs. A choppy guitar solo helps to get us to the glossy ending. 

There is a flawless transition into the third track, “Daysleep,” despite the differing tempos in the songs. This song captures the mood of, as the titles implies, longing to sleep during the day to escape our exhausting realities. Being tired is OK. At this point, we’re over halfway through the EP. The positioning of “Daysleep” truly feels a lot like a day lived in the suburbs. 

Another obvious nod to the Midwest on Sink to the Curb is in the song titles. “Cul De Sac,” “Gas Station,” and “Suburbs” all are spots that a person living in the suburbs might frequent. The second of that trio may be the most melancholy of this batch of songs. And that’s a good thing. The somber tones lead to much reflection, sounding very much so like a ballad. The nostalgic-sounding guitar – at times weeping – ties together this whole Midwest saga quite beautifully.

Something that Sink to the Curb also teaches you is that it’s also OK to be in tune with your feelings. On the closer “Suburbs,” Tew sings, “No one saves the suburbs/Full of late sleepers/ Who live in their childhood rooms/Feeding on feelings.” This isn’t particularly the environment that you would want to see yourself in. But if Tew was able to derive Sink to the Curb from their seemingly despondent existence in a Midwest suburb, then bravo. Because you can truly feel the isolation and urgency that can overcome you while living in such an environment. 

Well Read knows very well how to capture feelings in a jar and package them into intricate songs.