Nathan Wheeler – Painful to Believe (EP Review)

Today’s review is for Painful to Believe by Nathan Wheeler, an alternative artist who describes this new EP as a “mid-life crisis with a bit of optimism.”

So let’s have a listen …

The EP kicks off with gentle strings accompanied by an arpeggiated bubbling piano that sounds very nice against the string section. Eventually, the drums kick in. Finally, the vocals come in, and I’m getting sort of a Middle Eastern vibe from the vocal melody over the song’s instrument bed. Not sure that was intended, but that’s what I’m hearing. This is a 7-minute song. At first, I was unsure if I liked the voice, but it really starts to fit together well with the song the farther you get into the track. The first track is strangely titled The End. Starting the album at “the end”. LOL

The second track Sometimes, has a nice drum beat, loving the groovy bass line. The voice soars in this track and sounds epic against the track. I like the harmonics on the electric guitar. This track should be a single. Very well crafted song. It makes you want to listen to more from the artist. Which I think, is the point. Sometimes. The digital keyboard waterfall riffs at the end of the song are a very nice twist! A very well constructed song.

Forbidden Fruit, the third track, starts off more somber and dark. The vocals are very heavily affected and remind me of the vocal sound in Pete Yorn’s single Life on a Chain. Fits the song composition. It’s not quite as catchy as Sometimes, but fits in the overall sound of the EP.

The next song Soon Be There starts off with a very nice acoustic guitar line and I’m really digging the mix of the vocals on this song. Very James Bay. This is my second favorite track on the EP.

Not Much Left in Me closes out the EP. Starts with a gentle, broken, piano melody followed by drums, and then enters a massive slow bass groove. Not really digging the vocals on this song. Sounds a bit like a church hymn, vocally and melody-wise. The lyrics tell a good story: “It is painful to believe.” I like the lead guitar that comes in later in the song. And the bass line on this song is really worth a listen. The song concludes with heavy orchestration fading into the vocal and a lone piano going back to the song’s beginning.

SCORE/Good: I’m ranking this EP as Good Plus. I think the song sometimes is truly excellent. And I also really like Soon Be There. I didn’t quite make the same connection to the other three songs on the album. The musicianship on the album really shines! And the mixing and mastering is top-flight. Check out the song Sometimes! Much love, Beth

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

Follow Nathan Wheeler on: BandCamp