Toronto indie staples Meteor Heist are back with their second EP, Meteor Heist II. Set to release on January 23rd of this year, these longtime Demo favourites have come back with their roots firm and cowboy boots polished. This new project has big shoes to fill after the success of their debut, which effortlessly captured their deeply introspective, poetic lyrics, as well as their bright sound. Meteor Heist II is chock full of unheard material– shifting away from their much-beloved onstage repertoire, the band instead reaches deep for songs that even their most devoted fans aren’t familiar with. 

With the exception of the sole single “falling knife,” listeners are in uncharted territory. I’d grown accustomed to knowing what the band’s next move was going to be; in a way, though, this made my first listen more authentic. However, there is something to fall back on: this EP follows similar patterns as their debut by featuring an instrumental opening track (“.”), and interlude, titled “luminescence.” Sonically, this record straddles the line between retaining the band’s recognizable elements and a foray into incorporating new sounds. While mostly successful, by not going all-in, the latter becomes a double-edged sword, ultimately putting this record safely below their debut for me. Sorry Heistheads, it seems that I’ve become a purist. The aforementioned opener made me anticipate a record that more closely mirrors their first EP, featuring the same swooping synths and chopped up audio samples that is integral to their sonic profile. It’s ambient, and I assume this will serve as the “ready, set, go!” signal that starts their concerts for the next several months. Though I’m unsure if Percy Saltzman (famed meteorologist and TV personality featured on “…”) has returned as the voice behind the sample, I adore the way “.” builds suspense. Though it’s an underexplored way to build hype, it works. 

With a classic Thomas Carli fade out, we’re propelled right into “falling knife.” This song has everything that I think people love about Meteor Heist, which makes its placement in the track list even more obvious. The track is bouncy, bright, and makes you want to dance around. Carli’s backing vocals are a notable element, and I wish they appeared more throughout the rest of the EP. This song has one of my favourite bridges in the history of the band: “I’m ready to cave, I’m ready to break, I’m ready to say I’m tired of truth/I wanna believe, I wanna believe, I wanna believe I’m tired of you.” It perfectly showcases Meteor Heist’s continuing ability to blend personal musings with upbeat rhythms. The tempo slows with “it’s all still.” This track starts with Spencer Duncan-Dorton’s signature plucky synths, yet quickly settles into a more melancholy tone. Lila Wright’s soft yet powerful vocals blend seamlessly with her pensive writing style. It’s reminiscent of Meteor Heist’s earlier release “bones,” reading somewhat like the song’s older, more jaded yet wise cousin. Even though both tracks have similar elements, I find that this demonstrates a clear evolution in the band’s sound. There’s immense depth here, both in terms of production and instrumentals. This track is exactly what I anticipated from Meteor Heist II – the album being an extension of everything that I already love about this band: Rumbling bass, gorgeous guitar, and drums that make you wish you’d studied music. “it’s all still” is a great track for a long walk in the snow when you’re waiting for change that just won’t come. 

I’m not sure why bassist William Kilbride always happens to write my favourite songs, but “liberty village” is another such case. I’m a big fan of our shared musical brainwave, as well as his continued penchant for naming songs after places. There’s a mythologization of locations that shows you can take the band out of Toronto, but you can’t take Toronto out of the band. This track is such a joy to listen to, leaning into sounds that remind me of The Beths. The guitar has some gentle distortion – a new tone in the band’s arsenal. The build up to the chorus is masterful, and I feel like this track almost teases the listener; I’m hanging on every expertly crafted lyric. I find that most of the album is grounded by synths and bass, because regardless of what direction the band goes in sonically, those elements are always recognizable as distinctly “Meteor Heist.” It’s worth noting that there are more mentions of dog-adjacent creatures on this record. Here, we’ve got “one fewer coyote” to contrast “straw dogs” from their debut. Noticing the throughlines was a really engaging experience for me: it felt like there were constantly little nods that fans could pick up on.

I would say that “wait too long” is the most sonically ambitious track on Meteor Heist II. It successfully veers hard into more folksy and even country territory thanks to Cameron Stewart’s use of pedal steel guitar. This song has a do-si-do rhythm, emphasized further by the twang present throughout. I find that Wright’s vocals are reminiscent of her mom’s in her project LeVolume, especially when paired with the jaunty delivery of the lyrics. The high harmonies stacked together on the chorus add to the country-ish read of this track. I’m glad that we got to hear more of Wright’s upper range on this album – while it’s always present in live shows, it hasn’t appeared frequently in the recordings. This is the kind of song that I would have heard while driving through Muskoka. It’s fresh, summery, and light. The upbeat nature adds lovely contrast to some of the more sullen moments on this EP. Here’s the thing: you can go halfway with a lot of genres, but country is not one of them. The inclusion of the pedal steel, which only becomes more pronounced throughout the rest of the record, is risky. The precedent set by the beginning of the EP and its allusions to their debut makes this twangy twist a little jarring. I almost wish they had committed more fully to this shift in style, rather than done a neat box step around it. 

“luminescence interlude” functions as the transition between two songs in the album. It features what sounds like pool balls clattering, as well as another sampled soundbite, and more ambient synths. Personally, I found this to be a little disjointed and out of place. While I understand its purpose in carrying on tradition, it wasn’t novel enough to build sufficient excitement for the latter half of the EP. The fade between this track and “shoot that gun!” leaves something to be desired, which might be why the subsequent song falls short for me as a whole. 

Unfortunately, “shoot that gun!” feels very “Since U Been Gone” meets early Taylor Swift. While some fans might rock with that, it’s not my personal favourite. It walks a strange, ambiguous line between pop and country, while committing fully to neither. I think “shoot that gun!” lost the plot a little, especially compared to the previous tracks on the EP. I find that the track doesn’t sufficiently build on itself, and it’s not fresh enough to compete with things that sound eerily similar. I felt a bit let down, because I expected something a little more tactful from Meteor Heist. We went a little too basic for my taste with no success, sorry folks!

We end on a high note with “compass points.” It’s easy to tell when Stewart has had a hand in writing a song, since I always have to Google an unknown word or two. It’s keeping me on my toes, that’s for sure. While I think it’s unexpected to end with a slower song, it’s a welcome return to form after the last track. The pre-chorus is lovely, introspective, and beautifully paced. If Meteor Heist were ever to make a country album, I’d hope that it would sound like this. It hits me where it hurts, but does so gracefully. The pocket of the drums and bass together underscores the softer elements with a little grit, making everything together hit that much harder. 
Overall, Meteor Heist II is a solid transitional record, that leaves me wondering what direction they’re headed in. I appreciate their efforts towards incorporating new sounds and styles, though I’m left feeling unsure if they lost something along the way in doing so. There are standout songs that strike my fancy because they have the core elements of what make Meteor Heist so special, while still exploring the sonic limits of the band. Without discouraging any creativity, I hope they don’t lose sight of their sound when trying to be innovative. That being said, I still found this EP to be exciting, especially since I’ve looped their debut endlessly. Come see it performed live on January 23rd at the Horseshoe Tavern, with support from Stacks and Irresponsible Purchase. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, or simply swing on by to form your own.