Kevin Bronson on September 4th, 2018

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Mercurial Highland Park ensemble Seasons returned in late July with their first new music in over three years. The three-song EP “Pulse” shows yet another side of a band that has shown many over a career that dates back to 2006. Seasons are a seven-piece, featuring singer-guitarist Nik Garcia, violinist Kaitlin Wolfberg, trumpeter Dayna Drew, keyboardist/beatmaker Ray G, bassist Adam Villanueva, percussionist Jarrett Villanueva and drummer Erik Morales. So they can do a lot musically and they often do, though not always to their benefit. They can pivot from psychedelic excursions to orchestral eargasms to ’90s-styled anthems on a dime.

Garcia calls the new songs “the funkiest grime ever to be heard on any of our albums” and for that they had just the person to help them record them, veteran producer Manny Nieto. The trio of songs comprise some of the most physical music Seasons have made. The arresting synths, horns and vocals in the lead song “Kwyjibo” will rattle the dinnerware. (Bonus points if you know “The Simpsons'” episode that inspired the title.) Meanwhile, Adam Villaneuva’s animated video for the song makes a fun romp even wackier.

||| Watch: The video for “Kwyjibo”

||| Also: Stream the song here