• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

May 27, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Web Exclusive

Tom D’Agustino, former singer of Brooklyn indie rockers Active Bird Community, was looking for something new on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the disbandment of Active Bird Community, D’Agustino found himself returning to the studio, now recording under the name Homeschool. Though the record could reasonably be billed as a solo outing for D’Agustino, he’s far from alone on Homeschool: Book I. Rather, the EP acts as the venue for a number of collaborations, some old, as in the case of the feature with D’Agustino’s writing partner Samia, and some new, as with Bartees Strange. That collaborative spirit, imbued within all of the tracks, offers up new heights to D’Agustino’s stirring indie rock style.

The record opens with “Smartest Man,” the tightest and most anthemic encapsulation of D’Agustino’s sound on Homeschool: Book I. D’Agustino aches for meaning and adventure all while fighting the call of responsibility. D’Agustino ponders that tension as he sings “I wanna go diving/Or get struck by lightning/So I can feel the current in my hands.” Meanwhile, Samia acts as the counterpoint to his moving declarations, unpacking her viewpoint until she joins him on the soul-baring chorus. The result is indie pop songwriting at its finest, showing off much the same ear for hooks and earth-shaking choruses that Samia did last year with her debut, The Baby.

A similar progression is mirrored on “Satisfied,” thrusting D’Agustino into confessional verses and starry-eyed sing-along choruses. The themes even mirror “Smartest Man” as D’Agustino, somewhat ironically, fights against being dissatisfied with satisfaction. He searches for more meaning in life, opening the track by musing “You stave it off/The cycle of hating what you got.” Meanwhile, “New England ‘’ takes a more stripped-back approach, following D’Agustino through a largely acoustic track, carried by gently keening vocals, finger-picked acoustic tones, and an ambient synth outro.

Yet even on these featureless songs, collaboration is baked into the DNA of the tracks. Notably, D’Agustino’s former bandmate Zach Slater co-wrote the songs and producer David Greenbaum brings out the tracks’ warmth and honesty with his lush production work, most especially in the case of “New England.” Altogether it makes for tracks that feel even greater than the sum of their parts.

In this respect, possibly the EP’s highpoint comes with the final remix of “Smartest Man,” courtesy of Bartees Strange with soul singer Arlissa taking up Samia’s part. No stranger to reinvention himself, Strange completely reimagines the track as an off-kilter indie rock number. Rather than the original’s hooky choruses and warm melody, Strange emphasizes the darker lyrical qualities and propulsive electronic rhythms. It becomes a Bartees Strange song in all but name.

In some respects, these collaborations outshine D’Agustino’s on his own EP. But when the music is such an undeniably collective product it seems petty to think of the EP as a solo effort and disregard the tapestry of creative forces at work. Homeschool: Book I shows D’Agustino at his best—both as a “solo” work and as a collaborative effort. With more entries in the prospective series of EPs on the way, more blown-out indie rockers and left-field creative partnerships are sure to follow. (www.homeschool.party)

Author rating: 7.5/10