Album Review: “Emotional Freedom Technique” by Dave Depper

Dave Depper is someone I would inherently trust with music, given his long resume, expertise and history in the industry (Mirah, Menomena, Death Cab). Apparently, everyone in this city knows him, so why don’t I, dammit! Depper has released two interesting projects to date, including his version of Paul McCartney’s Ram and a six track ambient instrumental EP Utrecht, the latter being highly recommended for a rainy night alone. It’s a natural wonder why a solo album hasn’t happened sooner, but it did, in his own way and on his own time. Depper and Tender Loving Empire present Emotional Freedom Technique – a letter to the broken heart that won’t mend, but still beats.

The album title explains the theme, but the lyrics explore the fallout. A track that I want you to listen for is “Never Worked So Hard,” where he muses that “these feelings have to end / the troubles that surround me.” Here, Depper definitely has a hint of Miike Snow sounding vocals over a synthetic beat that sounds just old school enough to be cool. Also keep an ear open for “Summer Days” where he sounds a bit like Jonas Bjerre, over electronic elements that will cause a dance attack. On final track, “Hindsight Emotional Freedom Technique,” he sings about playing records with no clothes on, which, admittedly, caused me to look around as I was doing exactly that. Give this album a spin and let it heal thyself.