Eat The Frog - Before It Eats You EP

Eat The Frog - Before It Eats You EP

Words: Ciara Joyce

Eat The Frog are Dublin based duo Síofra Mauerhofer and Jack Joyce. Over eleven minutes, we hear a blend of eccentric storytelling and intricate arrangements, creating a sound larger than the sum of its two parts. The EP opener Pettigo Road (a long, secluded road winding from Donegal over the border into Fermanagh) is bursting with playful lyrics, immediately painting a scene that could be straight out of The Sopranos.

Colourful characters like ‘Jimmy the Cat’ emerge alongside clever instrumentation, Joyce’s lead vocals and Mauerhofer’s harmonies delicately laced around them. It’s a song that keeps you guessing until the very end. Mr Magoo follows with layers of instrumental countermelody and vocal harmonies creating a remarkably dense composition. The razor-sharp lyricism and interesting rhythmic turns make it, for me, an immediate standout. King of the Pigeons is another example of their rhythmic prowess, with the latter part of the song erupting in a striking tempo change and modulation, resolving a tense rising sequence.

Mauerhofer’s trad background is used to full effect, adding another distinctive layer to the band’s sound. Two interludes - Plough On Willie John and Críoch – bind the EP into one cohesive project. The band described their work as “Cheap music by cheap people”, but if this is Eat The Frog exercising frugality, I look forward to the day where they operate in excess.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6eYegoDcbBz9DllHuRa9vb?si=yIBSc2a8SoSBrY0OLnhs0w