Washington DC based band Euphoria produce a very palatable brand of mature college rock on this 1998 four song EP. Weighing in at less than 15 minutes, it may seem a little lightweight, but it certainly gives a tasty sampler of what they can produce.

All four of the songs are blatantly from the same band, but each pulls in a different direction, displaying a maturity of musicianship and songwriting that bodes well for the future of Euphoria. The lead off song is "F.Y.98", an equal blend of pop sensibility and rock guitar, propped up with some down and dirty drumming.

Track two is "One Cigarette", it turns its back on the accessibility of its predecessor and instead builds itself around throbbing guitar and bass work and a more tortured vocal sound. Saving their best for third, Euphoria prove they can write a perfect pop rock song with Normalville. Starting with a guitar and harmonica combination that is so pure and appropriate it could be Lennon in the early sixties. From there they move into the old fashioned trick of quiet verse versus rocking chorus, but what a chorus. It has already become permanently lodged in the front of my skull, mocking me as I am forced to listen to the horrible muzak they pump into my work environment.

It is an inspiringly pointless rage against the concept of normality, with wonderfully wry lyrics leading into a stadium rock sing-a-long chorus, a great use of restraint and rocking in the same song. It would have been perfect as the ending track, but instead they put the weaker "Silhouette", a more predictable love song based around a quicker tempo and decent vocal guitar interplay, as their finale.

Overall this is a strong if short showing by a talented, mature band who are already perfect for the college circuit, and who give more than a few glimpses of having a much bigger future. If the full-length album, that is due sometime soon can build upon the strengths of this release, then it will be a peach indeed. In the meantime can someone help me get that chorus out of my head; it’s distracting when I’m trying to read.

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