Beginning as a solo project by the Los Angeles-based musician Will Carpenter, Ships Have Sailed serves as the artist’s creative outlet, an alternative to his main gig as the lead guitarist for rock-infused hip-hop band 7Lions. Someday is Ships Have Sailed’s first release, and serves as a prelude to a full-length record Carpenter plans to put out later this year.
The six-song EP spans across a multitude of genres, from bubbly indie pop to confrontational rock. The former is demonstrated by the first single, “Midnight,” which is powered by lighthearted synths. However, if this is what you were expecting from the rest of the disc, you will be sorely disappointed. Each track takes on a new personality completely, as if a different band has created each song. While the constant changes can keep the audience on their toes, Someday comes off as scattered, as if Carpenter is trying to work in every little trait of his musical influences and taking on too much.
This is not to say that the Someday is not musically sound, and there is no question that Carpenter is multi-talented and diverse. “Clouds” has a mellow singer-songwriter vibe to it, with calm vocals and a soft acoustic guitar that carries the melody. The same can be said for “Someday,” the closing track, though it gains momentum by the end. The most out of place is “Better Off,” which sounds like simple, generic alternative rock, and the EP could have done without it completely.
Someday is a decent debut, though it seems Carpenter is still trying to work out the kinks of what sound he wants Ships Have Sailed to have. Hopefully by the time the full-length comes out, he will know.
In A Word: Disorganized
