People say that life often gets in the way of life, something that seems truer by the day as we navigate an increasingly confusing and hostile world. It Didn’t Hit Me Until Today, the new EP by Boston-based indie trio The Only Humans examines six instances of major, unexpected life changes ranging from unexpected passings to sudden losses of love. The trio, consisting of Tim Howd (vocals, guitar), Renée Gauthier (bass, backing vocals) and Neil Morrissey (violin), channel real incidents and fictional tales towards paths of acceptance. Didn’t Hit Me rides the wave of the band’s excellent 2024 full-length, It’s a Beautiful Night. I Think I’ll Disappear Forever. We’re excited to premiere the release here at Allston Pudding!
It’s only fitting that an EP about embracing the terror of unfamiliarity would see the band take a different approach to songwriting. Rather than scripting out every element of every song, the trio took the bones of these tunes into the studio and worked them out live alongside Elio DeLuca of The Soul Shop. The Only Humans are joined by Michelle Tucker and Mike Cashin here, adding some auxiliary percussion on certain songs. The end result is a collection of tunes that feel a little looser and more varied than those on their previous album.
The biggest disparity in sound comes among the first two tracks on the EP, “Invisible Outposts” and “Waterfall Song.” The former is an atmospheric opener, centered mostly just on Howd’s vocals and guitar work. The latter is a dense, full-band song that sounds the closest to the sketched-out songs of Beautiful Night, and it’s by far the loudest and fullest song on the EP. “Narcissus” closes out the first half as one of the folksiest songs on the release. The back half of the release follows a similar format; “Upon Seeing A White Dove On A Balcony Rail” centers on Howd, with his best vocal work across the EP, while “Another Autumn Song” is another full-band affair, with excellent violin work from Morrissey. The closing tune “Running Out On The Check” is a solid, unassuming indie song.
These songs of transition sound desperate at times, and defeated at others. “Some people are born broken, some break themselves just to feel alive,” Howd opines on “Waterfall.” It’s the mission statement of the EP: how some people react negatively to unexpected change. While the presence of violin separates The Only Humans from many other indie bands, there is a direct comparison to The Mountain Goats to be made. Howd resembles a Bostonian John Darnielle both vocally and lyrically, and he takes this poetic influence to heart. The songs here may range from fictional journeys (“Waterfall”) to the very literal (“White Dove”), but they all find their way to acceptance. Across these six songs we get a variety of ideas and characters, but the pleasant rhythms and low-key music constantly reassure that we will, in fact, be okay.
It Didn’t Hit Me Until Today is available for purchase and streaming below: