Harley Alexander
I’m Feeling Things EP
Oof Records
Halifax, NS
RIYL: Brighten the Corners-era Pavement; Alex G; Haley Heynderickx

Harley Alexander is used to roaming across Canada, but he’s in no rush to get a move on on his latest EP, I’m Feeling Things. “Slacker pop” describes his affable tunes’ leisurely pace – they’ll make you slow down and savour your coffee, gaze at clouds, and watch grass sway – but the prolific songwriter has been knocking out openhearted gems with all his heart for a decade. With sparse instrumentation, low energy, and rife references to water, soil, and flowers, I’m Feeling Things is budding garden-rock; its most verdant patches are the sax on “Riverbank” and the sudden downpours of guitar riffage and cymbal crashes on “Love Language.” Alexander sounds relaxed and centred throughout most of I’m Feeling Things, and even when he battles feeling valueless and socially disconnected on “No More Tries,” he instantly rebounds with “Exactly You Now,” on which he vows to rise high and lift up those around him.

Leslie Ken Chu