The Money War: The Money War EP Review

By Cheyenne Young
Music Journalist

Artist: The Money War
Album: The Money War EP
Label: LittleBIGMAN Records
Release Date: April 7, 2017

As a relatively young band, The Money War has already made quite a splash in the music world. Dylan Ollivierre and Carmen Pepper, from Rainy Day Women and Warning Birds, started making music together in 2016. It didn’t take long before their music began getting noticed. In 2017, their single “Recall” was the fourth most played track on Triple J radio, a massive success for such a new band. The Australian musicians wrote, recorded and produced The Money War EP themselves and released it in April of 2017.

Being an EP, the album consists of only five songs. Nonetheless, the album is a true case of quality over quantity as each track brings something new to the table. From the moment the first track began, I was hooked. The alternative/indie rock album pairs heavier music with softer vocals. The electronic keyboard and heavily distorted electric guitar are strong throughout the album, pushing the music to be more alt-rock. On the other end, the vocals are soft and smooth, giving the songs a more indie feel. The drums and killer guitar riffs will keep you headbanging while Ollivierre and Pepper’s voices melt together in a silky fashion.

The whole album has an upbeat feel, but the lyrics are as important as the tunes, if not more so. The group uses their lyrics to portray feelings and situations many people can relate to. “Recall”, the group’s most popular song, tells a story of people feeling trapped; they can’t move forward and are instead just doing the same things over and over. The second track, “Stars,” is all about this idea of unattainable dreams and how, “we all want to be big stars,” and yet there’s always the chance of falling short. Track four, “Right Kind of Love,” switches it up a bit. While other tracks on the album are more musically dense, “Right Kind of Love” is a simpler sort of love song about sacrifice and contempt. Overall, I feel as though the group used this album to portray an idea of patience and appreciating what you have in the moment. Each track’s lyrical value is just as captivating as the last, and it is clear that the artists put a lot of thought and emotion into each song.

The duo just released The Money War EP less than a year ago, and are already touring the country. If you are interested in this band, make sure to go see them when they perform at SXSW in Austin, March 12-18.