GutterPutter

The Egg Factory is an indie rock project from the US state of California that functions under the label of the thematically similar Egg Records. It is fronted by Edgar Alejandre who, outside of his name being known, had little information at hand surrounding his previous experiences outside of the clear likelihood that he runs Egg Records as a producer. The Egg Factory itself released its debut EP in INVENTORY in 2020 and then put out their first album in 2022 titled Boxer (not to be confused with the National’s most well-known record). Both of them saw little attention yet they are able to garner a tiny little fandom for their more hauntological charm. This comes through with the lo-fi production that fizzles with the vocal, the pro-Rubber Soul Beatles from the harmonies, and the avant-genre-bursting whimsicality of Frank Zappa. 

The album clocks only at 33 minutes which makes it a more concise listen with some hopes that it will be filled with a few hits. Indeed, to kick off, ‘Sin Ti’ is an instant highlight that serves as the opening track. Its near-unintelligible lyrics that were sung in Spanish have a hypnotic quality to it. The gradual build-up in the tempo from the horn, the kick drum, and the hi-hats provide an avenue for tension in the second half that seems to fall hollow at first, but then breaks into a dynamic, retro-style Spy Music fiasco where the more muted production offers a surreal quality to its conclusion. You can definitely tell that this is the song that Alejandre had poured his heart into making and while it might not be the best of the year, it certainly exhibits an alien quality that keeps on tugging you in.

Two other tracks are also worth mentioning for its sharp songwriting even though it might not rank as high as ‘Sin Ti’. ‘The Weight of Sincerity’ stands out for the more upbeat instrumentation that conflicts with the desperate lyrics on forcing someone to like you romantically or sexually. It reminds me of Guided by Voices in Bee Thousands especially for the power pop styling or Car Seat Headrest back in the Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror) era with its lo-fi melancholia. ‘I’ll Never Lose, I’ll Never Win’ saw the use of the vocalising sample be utilised as an instrument itself in adding more texture to the female backing vocals which makes for a charming little jingle. The more downtempo kind of percussion helps as well with how its rhythm adds to the catchiness. 

That being said, American Lovers is a record where the duds might not smear the pluses badly, but it makes up a notable majority of the tracklist. ‘Murder at The Market’ and ‘Mid-Evil Mirror’ has a lethargic feel to it where its slow tempo disorients rather than nudges for your attention. The former at least enjoys a cathartic bit of horn and harmonised vocals in its chorus. ‘Mid-Evil Mirror’ has its own chorus that comes off as being weird and it’s not in a good way. It feels like it’s supposed to provide a moral of “not [wasting] a life of good choosing”, but the largely muddy vocals make you wonder if it’s a deliberate way to grab your attention or if the production at that moment feels too lo-fi for its own good. ‘Tunnel Vision Love’, despite its more energetic instrumentation, saw its mixing turn into its Achilles’ Heel as most of the sound blends too much into each other as to make it come off as suffocating. There’s an uncanny feeling that the dynamism isn’t reflected in the actual experience of listening to the song as opposed to the performance itself.

‘A Public Heaven / A Private Hell’ continues with the monotonousness that make up the main weakness of the album. Compared to the others, there’s an organ and a monologue in the first half that makes for some bit of spice. However, the drumming in the second half might come off as being very similar to ‘Murder at The Market’ in terms of its pattern which blunts whatever emotional reaction Alejandre might want to go for. ‘UP2U!’ doubles down on ‘Tunnel Vision Love’ with the production problem as the muddled vocals render the song as being akin to a rough-edged demo that feels devoid of any worthwhile idea or experimentation. The closing track in ‘A Time and A Place’ sought to cap the album off in a more jangly fashion. Yet, the garbled muttering in the start throws off your expectation in a way that is more disruptive than it is subversive and when the outro comes out with the piano, you are left wondering why either end is around when they feel asymmetrical to one another.

American Lovers is clearly a record that has a lot of interesting ideas. Throughout its run, the music sounds like it travelled back in time to the 1960s with the more postmodern techniques of interpolation and multiple structures. That being said, it is also one where many of its more creative ideas tend to be held back by its missed spots in execution. There are a lot of moments where I feel as if the album would have been a more psychedelic experience had it refined its left-field turns more sharply. As of now, the Egg Factory definitely has a fascinating vision for how overlooked it is compared to so many others. However, it is one that is haunted by its rough edges. I hope that Alejandre improves on his work more & get it cleared up for the other musicians who work with him for the Egg Factory’s tunes.

2/5