Review: Tramps by Stamps (Album)

Hearing that one of my favorite bands, The Hush Sound, had broken up pretty much crushed me a year ago. They were the band I listened to the most frequently, the one that I could listen to regardless of the mood I was in. I follow Bob Morris on twitter @therobertmorris, and hearing that he had a new band called Stamps and the EP Tramps was dropping soon, I was a little cautious about listening to it. After all, The Hush Sound had a very distinct sound, and Morris was only one of the singers in a band with two leads. Also, I worried that maybe the band would be too alike to Morris’ original band.

Stamps stands on its own two feet. The band members include Bob Morris, Ian Crawford, Ren Patrick, and Adam James. Much like The Hush Sound, Stamps has two lead singers, one male and one female, Bob Morris & Ren Patrick. The band was formed after Morris was disappointed with the major label industry’s treatment of The Hush Sound and Ian Crawford offered to write music with Morris, looking for something new after leaving the band The Cab.  Ren Patrick and Adam James joined soon after, and thus the band Stamps was created.

Stamps band members: Drummer Adam James, Vocalist/Guitarist Bob Morris,Guitarist Ian Crawford, & Vocalist/Organist Ren Patrick.

The EP Tramps debuts Stamps’ sound, which is laid-back, folk bluesy rock. The combination of Morris’ and Patrick’s vocals gives the tracks unique harmonies, with fun guitar solos bringing something new to the sound.  The two lead singers switch on who takes lead on songs, which is enjoyable for me because the first time listening I had no clue whether a song would be sung from a girl’s point of view or a boy’s.

The lyrical content of the songs dabble in love, distance, and lack of sleep. The songs are easy to catch on to, my favorite upbeat song to sing along to on the EP being “ATL to LA to Me.” Morris speaks of being reunited after being in a long distance relationship. “Things You Do To Me” is the stand-out ballod of the EP, with Patrick taking lead vocals. The song plays much like a lullaby, a song that easily could be listened to before bed.

The most interesting part of purchasing Stamps’ new EP, Tramps, is that the band gives you the choice of how much you are willing to pay for the album. This was a risky move on their part, allowing for listeners to buy the album for nothing if that is what the buyer felt the album would be worth. So if you aren’t sure after reading this review whether you would like the album, don’t worry. You can name the price of how much you want to pay for it. If you are interested in the EP, check out this link: Tramps by Stamps.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5