Formerly of Slothpop, Kristin Newborn’s solo-esque Ko (or KO if your CAPS LOCK is stUCK) furthers her pastime of creating musique of slower methodologies. The simply titled EP is a calm drive in the hotbox, improved by sustained exposure to the smoke and peeling vinyl. It’s a long turn of the stereo dial, flipping through variant forms of inside-the-outside pop. Though one would believe the haze to dull the senses, it’s the reverse. Each song steels your nerve, as each little loop and snare pound builds more daring and yet tightly tethered to some form of reality. Whether it’s the bumpy pavement rattling the hubcaps or the jerky steering as a result, there’s always a moment that keeps EP from drifting into the ether of nonsense. The appraisal of “Bitches Online” a long overdue response to Phil Elverum’s self-screed, “Get off the Internet.” I would like to make the same generalization with “Choke” as some anthem challenging the totality of “Don’t Smoke,” as well but there is little shared between Mount Eerie and Ko beyond enigmatic and clever songwriters occupying some sort of zen that is beyond mortal comprehension. That, and the mountains of Newborn’s world seem far brighter, like that after a virgin snow. These are songs untouched by cynicism or critique, and that’s why I stash my 7-inch in the glove compartment. There it remains to sooth me the next time I take a city cruise and need to slow my roll.
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