Written by J. Dylan White 

Maturity isn’t measured by time alone, and Grand Rapids, Mich. duo Cal in Red pack a wealth of artistic evolution in their third EP, “The Days,” which follows their 2024 debut LP, “Low Low.”

“The Days” feels more precise and focused in its vision than “Low Low,” which explored a varying range of musical styles in its runtime and featured The Shins’ frontman James Mercer on the track “Kitchen.”  

Cal in Red’s new EP trades some of the ethereal glamor of their previous outing for a raw, grounded approach to their style of indie pop.

“Everything felt fresh with this one,” Kendall Wright, one of the brothers comprising the duo, said in a press release. “All the music we had up until a year ago was either put on ‘Low Low’ or scrapped all together.”

With all six tracks clocking in under three minutes, the band wastes no time showing off their new material and making it clear that this EP isn’t just a retread of old concepts.

“Are You Ready?” kicks off “The Days” with the shortest entry on the EP. Anchored with a simple guitar riff before expanding into a synth-backed romp, the track ends with a shimmery explosion overlaid repetitiously with the question “Are you ready to go now?”

The title track is dipped in a splash of youthful melancholy as the descending guitar line follows the main melody. Dreamlike vocals coat the choruses with a delicious beach-rock vibe and a rich bass backing the verses.

“Cut The Line” carries a slightly defiant swagger in its opening bars that is carried throughout the track in a driving guitar and piano lick to open each chorus. As one of the EP’s singles, this song encapsulates the mellow, realistic perspective Cal in Red is developing on the release.

Fans of “Low Low” will get the greatest enjoyment out of “Los Angeles,” which is the closest successor to the duo’s previous record found on “The Days.” Fun and upbeat, the catchy backbeat fuses with the lead guitar to complement the closing chorus line, “Kiss me like I need to make it better.”

“Smile, You’re Here,” is the most adventurous entry on the EP, with a guitar line strongly reminiscent of “Happy Idiot” by TV On The Radio laying the track’s foundation. “Smile” departs from the sonic formula of the EP, interspersing cartoonish spoken-word interludes, synth drum backings, and a barely perceptible stomp-clap ending throughout a welcome and refreshing change of pace from the other entries on “The Days.”

Closing out the EP, “Dogs in New Madrid” is heartfelt and clothed in a heavy fabric of nostalgia, with the consistent refrain “These are the best days / These are the only ones you’ll leave behind.” An acoustic-guitar focused song similar to the “Low Low” track “Flagstaff,” “Dogs” has a tenderness and wistful sentiment absent from the track on the LP and reaches slightly higher emotional heights.

“The Days” is a refreshing morsel to whet the palate of Cal in Red’s fans or devotees of indie music. The EP shows the band’s willingness to take risks and branch out instead of continually remaking the same art and copying themselves.

The biggest flaw of the release, however, is a need for more. With abbreviated runtimes on each of the tracks, some seem to end a bit abruptly before being fully fleshed out or fully paying out in a satisfying way for listeners.

An extra 60 to 90 seconds on most tracks would make “The Days” a complete package that would leave little to be desired for anyone inclined to Cal in Red’s style of music.

“The Days” is another extremely solid entry for Cal in Red and grows upon the foundation laid by previous releases without feeling foreign. The group’s discography of catchy, glitzy tunes continues to grow, and this EP adds some of the deepest tracks yet on an emotional plane.

Credit: Brooke Wichterman