EP REVIEW: PK

By Chandra Johnson

With their high energy, ardent indie-pop sound and enthralling lyrics, PK are just getting started. With the release of their new EP, The Lost Boys Sessions, the California natives are undeniably propelling into super-stardom.

The band is comprised of Travis Hawley (vocals), Matt Depauw (guitar), Nick Fotinakes (guitar), Mikel Van Kranenburg (bass) and Rico Rodriguez (drums). After the release of their first full-length, Into the Roaring, they received high acclaim and recognition amongst the music industry.

They’ve already won over several prestigious publications, such as Rolling Stone, where they were featured as one of the Top 16 Unsigned Artists in the US in 2011. The band has also been featured in Nylon Guys, Alternative Press and Pac Sun Music, where they did an exclusive, acoustic video of ‘Seawolves’ for the brand in California.

PK has also opened up for some of the most well-known bands in the world, such as Angels and Airwaves, Aerosmith, Shiny Toy Guns, Youngblood Hawk and Twin Atlantic. The band’s sound has matured with each EP and single they put out; their first EP, Casting Shadows, was released in 2008.

It seems that with the release of Into the Roaring and The Lost Boys Sessions, PK has definitively defined their sound and perfected their arrangements with each verse. Fans of bands like The Cure, Gaslight Anthem and U2 will enjoy PK’s similar sound. Vocalist, Travis Hawley, can be compared to The Cure’s Robert Smith with his articulate annunciations so much so that they do a seamlessly perfect cover of Not in Love by Crystal Castles featuring Smith.

The track, ‘I Know’, off of The Lost Boys Session, is brutally honest with lines like “I don’t want ya. I don’t need ya. I know that you want me,” that almost juxtaposes it’s cheerful, catchy beat. ‘Chase the Sky’ is complete perfection with longing, lovely lyrics like, “I wanna drive away your darkness.” PK manages to turn a journey on a London railroad into the ride of a lifetime in the song appropriately titled ‘London’.

To round off the EP, ‘Berelain’ and ‘Some Nights’ exceed listener’s expectations with a sound reminiscent of an unforgettable summer night. The Lost Boys will be released on May 29th, so in the mean time, check out PK’s music video for Berelain below: