EAT YOUR BIRTHDAY CAKE is a funny name.

The first thing I noticed about Eat Your Birthday Cake was the clever title of the band’s debut EP; which reads “Eat your birthday cake, I Know you can.” I couldn’t help but giggle. The masterminds behind Eat Your Birthday Cake are two dudes from Fishtown, Bill Storck and Marc Neibauer that have been refining their recipe for lighthearted rock since early 2008.

The EP opens with Vegan Leather, a pleasant sounding song that made my ears perk up. The melodies are lovely enough that the song would still be good sans lyrics. Something that bothered me was the overall sound of the EP, which made me feel like I was listening to an album being played from one set of speakers and then through another. It seemed to sound distant which made it hard at first to focus on the lyrical content of the songs.

Although the vocals on I Know You Can, differ slightly with each track, I really fell for the clarity of Storck’s voice on Lightweight Stars. The song itself is simple with a few synth/keyboard loops thrown in for good measure. This song is indeed, the icing on the cake. I wish the EP ended there since the last track (Peter Pan) sounds like a creepy robotic carnival ride. Don’t get me wrong, I’m down with funky keyboard noises but I was expecting something more.

I’m curious to see what these guys come up with next. For now, you can listen to the whole EP as well as a live version of Lightweight on MySpace.

myspace.com/eatyourbirthdaycake

About Kate Dawes

Kate is a teacher in Philadelphia, PA. She's crafty as hell and can bake circles around you. She lives with a Wild African Dog named Lennon.