Gabe Perez Asserts Themself with Debut EP "Today or Any Day"
Gabe Perez might still be in the throes of their songwriting studies at Berklee, but their debut EP, Today or Any Day, makes an irrevocable assertion of the vocal and writing talent they already possess. The record consists of four tracks that explore themes of transience and growth, traversing a spectrum of searing emotionality.
“I don’t feel very connected to the idea of happiness and sadness as a dichotomy. I think the most important thing emotionally from that, when writing the record, was taking all these different feelings I might have about something—being happy about it, being sad about it, being angry, surprised, whatever I’m feeling—and getting the core emotion of that outside of any categorization and trying to put it into music.” Perez told me over Zoom
Born in the Philippines to Venezuelan and Moroccan parents and raised in Houston, Texas, Perez plays guitar, piano drums and vibraphone, which they study at the Berklee College of Music. As well as contributing to projects and playing shows as a member of local bands TINO and ROMA, Perez has released several singles as a solo artist prior to completing the EP, which they wrote and produced.
“It’ll be nice to have something tangible to show for all the musical growth I’ve done over the last one or two years. It’s been super evolutionary for me. So it’s nice to have a product of that out and have some belief in it.”
Today or Any Day draws sonic and lyrical influence from the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Tame Impala, Radiohead, and Haim, combining sounds from the alt-rock, pop, singer/songwriter and psychedelia genres. The first track, “Worlds (Feint)” featuring Tony Batey, exemplifies this genre-blending perfectly, showcasing the noisy, stretchy guitar sounds of psychedelic rock. Pained wails soar overtop the urgent bridge as Perez sings “life’s exactly what you make it” before falling easily into an uneasy chorus. It’s somehow great both for when you’re upset and don’t know what to do with yourself, and for when you want to feel cool while walking down the street.
“The tracklist names in order say ‘worlds after all become faint.’ That idea of nothing being permanent and constant; change and evolution is super important to the whole record. It’s recognizing the lack of permanence of every sort of emotion. That’s the most directly angry song on the record, I guess, but even recognizing the temporariness and fleetingness of that,” Perez said.
Things slow down with track two, “After All.” The spare production brings the listener up close and personal with nothing but Perez’s voice and a guitar, rising and falling to create a warm, vulnerable atmosphere. The idea of impermanence comes through as Perez seems to assure themself as much as the listener, singing “time will heal anything, everything.”
The third track, “B(eco)me,” is lazy and hypnotic, with quick percussion lines tapping behind layered vocals that you can drift away to. The outro was produced by Caleb Townshend, Perez’s roommate, and fellow Boston artist.
“I had the song and I was like, I don’t know how to end this, I don’t know what’s going on. I was like here, take my ideas and just go crazy with them. And they did that,” Perez said.
“Faint” closes the EP with a soft, meditative sound and lyrics that, out of all four tracks, speak the most plainly about the record’s main themes of evolution, change, and impermanence. Perez wrote the song about a friend who passed away, but I found myself recognizing my own experiences and feelings in their words. Everyone knows what it’s like to struggle to move on from something, to look back on it perhaps with both melancholy and wistfulness. There’s no better way to describe Perez’s voice than simply honest as they wonder aloud, “was I a bother, or the best you’d ever got?”
Each of these four songs stands alone as a unique piece of work and enjoyable listen, but it’s the way each song interacts with and fits into the project as a whole that makes it stand out as something special, and needed. Perez doesn’t confine themself to one emotion, or even the idea that emotions can be categorized. Today or Any Day encapsulates everything from anger and uncertainty to peace and understanding.
“I don’t experience emotions in ways that I can concisely put in words. It’s just more like energy, feeling stuff. For a while, I would try to conform my writing to words that people would immediately understand and experiences that people might immediately relate to, but I thought… At the end of the day, I decided that being genuine and saying how I feel is gonna connect with people regardless.”