1st BASE RUNNER “Ellis”

Self-released, 2021

Music: Shoegaze / Atmospheric Rock
Website: http://1stbaserunner.com
Duration: 16:00 (5 tracks)
Country: U.S.A

Based out of Texas, 1st Base Runner caught my attention when I found their sophomore EP “Ellis” was trending, and ultimately topping NACC Radio Top 200 Chart for 6 weeks straight to become the 2nd highest EP since its release in 2021. The artwork for the album too, was eye-catching – all the more reason for me to quickly jump into the EP. Before I share my thoughts it is important to understand the band and what they try to do, in terms of style and theme. 1st Base Runner is not a collective but a collection of thoughts transversed into music by Tim Husmann.

Tim is heavily influenced by Shoegaze, and alternative rock with a deep interest in incorporating Dream Pop into the songs. This is evident on the EP, “Ellis”, which is filled with a mix of foretold genres put together to create a single, beautiful and immersive sound. The EP features a total of 5 tracks, all coincidentally under 4 minutes – making it one of the very few albums that actually nail the right duration (personally, I like songs to be under 4 minutes).

Album starts with “Near Me” – which is a brilliantly executed track perfect for a Saturday evening to reflect on the week, or perhaps your life! Don’t judge me – but that is what I did. The song for some reason evoked a sense of self-reflection making me think about future, and how my life is moving. Not sure if that was the intent of the track – but really curious to know if anyone else had the same mood when this song played. Though the instrumentation is perfect, “Near Me” had a good, but something that could have been better, deliverance – but hey, I was probably lost in thoughts or in the very immersive instrumentation that I lost the lyrics completely.

“Flux” and “Numbers” are two tracks that provide a very good structure to the EP. They carry the same momentum created by “Near Me” – though slow, it is amazingly resonant to what you would think how the EP would progress from here. If someone asks me which out of the 5 tracks is my favourite album, I would probably say “Man Overboard”. The last track, Tim does know how to close on a high note. I will be honest – I don’t know much about of Dream Pop – but this song was very catchy. In addition to that, I was able to relate to the vocals on the song – like understand the deliverance, and actually sing along to it.

Overall, the EP is one of the finest listens for this year, and I regret not finding the band any sooner. Would have definitely ended up on my 2021 Best Finds list. That being said, I will be looking forward to what Tim will have in store for us next. Really hoping to see more of such atmospheric tracks!