The Perfect Morning Drop An Engulfing EP

A gorgeous new EP release from The Perfect Morning just dropped today, and this record delves into some descriptive lyrical approaches, loads of inner thought that just come spilling out for all to soak in, and boasts tons of personality, which is one of the things you end up getting attached to the most.

The record certainly has an acoustic backing. It is a blend of approaches and genres from folk to rock, although it never gets super heavy, but instead walks this line that keeps everything dynamically balanced, but always has this drifting and immersive feel and aesthetic to it, which really pulls you into the project.

The soundscapes across the record are vast in their undertones, driving in their energy, and can easily swallow you up.

The record starts with "Distracted", which introduces itself with an in-room live percussion and drum beat, followed by these beautiful acoustics and what sounds like slide guitar electrics, and this all starts developing a gorgeous atmosphere.

This is all followed by beautifully composed vocals that are two tracks harmonizing almost the entire time, and they're sort of drenched in this reverb effect so it gives it a distance feel and adds a lot of depth to the song itself.

This is what I mean by vast undertones. You have these layers of texture and depth that are strewn across the record and this is part of the staple and signature sound of the entire thing.

Now, other tracks get a little bit more intense or a bit heavier, bringing out more of a rock approach like "Ghost- Fossils Version", which is one of the only tracks that seems not to focus too much on acoustic guitar but all electric instead. The electric guitars are widened and arpeggiated. There's still that sense of spaciousness throughout this whole thing, and the vocals come through more robustly instead of being delicate or subtle.

One of the other things you end up getting pulled into is the lyrics. You can tell that a lot of the stuff came from personal spaces, and it's something that makes the record authentic.

"Find You Here" delves pretty deep into that aspect, and it's amazing how lyrically, the record can pull you in a different sense.

On songs like this, the band and music really set the mood or the tone for the lyrical approach so that you get sucked in by the words and how he's being descriptive and detailed about something with deeper meaning to him, but the mood is set by the instruments.

Sounds like this lets you find yourself drifting along with it. It's quite a beautiful experience and a bit of an escape, to be honest.

This whole EP is something you should listen to from beginning to end because without that, you're not getting the full spectrum of what it offers.

Each one of these songs stands on its own two feet very well as singles, but when you listen to the whole thing in one shot, you're getting all the chapters.

This is something that portrays a lot of character, and for you to take in all of it, all four tracks on this release should be heard.

The guitar work across this record is outstanding. The vocals are too, but the guitars really set themselves as the key, atmospheric element of the record that sets the tones and aesthetics for everything. These are the instruments that you grab onto as they float past and let them pull you along for this journey.

It's all sort of cinematic, in a sense. It's also because of the emotional pull and backbone of the record, but those guitars really add that depth and cinematic tonality to the full record; whether it's more acoustic-based or electric-based, you still have that effect.

The record also has a strange way of putting you in the moment with the songs themselves, which I found quite beautiful.

It's almost like a lot of this was recorded live on the floor, and everyone involved was feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.

The drummer does an outstanding job of bringing in this amazing drive to certain tracks in the spots that beckon it, but everyone together really made this happen and gave it the vibe and feel that it has.

It just feels like there's a lot of synergism going on, and that almost gives it the sensation of a live performance.

Upon listening to this EP, I wanted to reach out and ask a few questions so that I could learn more about where this actually came from and what might be coming up next for the band.

I wanted to know how they put this all together.

So, while you listen to this record, have a read through of the interview with The Perfect Morning below.

Don't forget where you heard this first.

Buzz Slayers: Let's talk about FOSSILS! This gave off some great post-rock, progressive, and very cinematic approaches! Elements of folk, and plenty of vast undertones as well!  Where did this record come from?

Joseph: “I love that you noticed VAST undertones! We have enough of ‘em on there. Thank you! Well, this record started off in a different place and time. It initially came together very quickly. Then we began to spin our wheels, and started getting stuck… before coming to a screeching halt. After some time off, we came back together and finished it the same way we started it… very efficiently and very quickly.”

Brendan: “Joe’s right about that lol, a screeching hault indeed. In the beginning, there were a handful of other super talented musicians that helped us get this project going in the right direction. Between some geographical moves and some life happenings, the line up has changed, but the spirit remains, and we’re super proud to finally get this to y’all.”

Buzz Slayers: I'm hearing a few different approaches to

this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Joseph: “You nailed it again! There are definitely a few different approaches to this record. But there are two different aspects to that. The experiences that we had, the trials and difficulties and the eventual stop/start-again that we went through… may account for the different approaches that you hear, which may be accidental. While I feel that Brendan and I have very different influences, what we do have in common is that our own personal influences are wide-ranging. My greatest musical influences when it comes to guitar playing are Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) and The Edge (U2). I think that when I perform live, I turn back into that kid that’s trying to be Mike, the Heartbreaker. And Edge… talk about vast undertones, to say nothing of the amazing overtones! In recent years, I’ve become a song-guy. My favorite thing has become conceiving a song, constructing its basic skeleton, and completing it…Having another completed song. In that respect, Tom Petty is a fav. He always said that he was very much a song-guy. He used to say that his favorite thing was finishing a song and “sticking it in his back pocket.”I love thinking about it the same way. Sticking the song in my back pocket. Here’s another tune… done!”

Brendan: “I simply wanted to make a sort of modern grunge record, and I think we accomplished that in our own way.”

Buzz Slayers: Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?

Joseph: “Some parts were done at home, some at a larger studio in the city of Chicago and the rest in a smaller studio in the Chi burbs. Another factor that may’ve added to the different sounds and approaches that were collected on the EP. “

Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you as a band?

Joseph: “I was introduced to Brendan through a mutual musician friend out of Nashville. We made an appointment to meet at a studio in Chicago just to play around to see what would happen. We wrote All Beyond from scratch inside of 10 minutes. It was a thrill.”

Brendan: “We put a crew together several years ago and got to writing and recording. The majority of our first EP ‘FOSSILS’ was recorded before the halt, until we dove back in and finished it up! Feels great to complete our “first effort” as they say. We’re excited to get you the second EP ‘The Vail’ in early 2026!

Buzz Slayers: Are you performing live right now? 

Joseph: “TPM haven’t performed live in several years. We were very much into performing live back then. Now… we would be content with just writing songs and recording them. We may do some stripped down, acoustic performances at some point. Who knows what the future holds for TPM live…stay tuned.”

Buzz Slayers: Now that this is out, what's next for you?

Joseph: “As Brendan mentioned, we have actually written enough for another EP. We’ll put it out next year.”

Brendan: “Hell ya, we’re super stoked to share ‘The Vail EP’ in early 2026, and very excited to welcome a dear friend of mine into the lyrical & writing process with us, and to accompany the songs on vocals. ‘The Vail EP’ is an awesome new approach for us; acoustic driven at its core, but not at all lacking the depth of the rock music category in which we’re happy to reside.”

Buzz Slayers: Who's in your headphones right now?

Joseph: “Warren Zevon. Bob Dylan’s more recent Rough And Rowdy Ways album. Future Islands.”

Brendan: “I usually start the day with Chantress Seba, and then move into a wide variety of electronic music. In the afternoons I might dive into some heavier stuff like Sleep Token or Deftones, and in the evenings, The Perfect Morning of course (ironically) lol.”

Buzz Slayers: What would you tell people they can expect on this release?

Joseph: “You can expect to hear songs from people who care very much about the song itself. What a song can do to a person, and how it makes them feel.”

Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music? 

Joseph: "I’d like to express gratitude, first and foremost. If they can listen and appreciate how much we care about crafting each song and bringing it out… we appreciate that in them. Thank you. … and thank you to The Team at Buzz Slayers for reaching out and providing us an opportunity to share our thoughts and music with everyone!”

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