Four installments of some boring love stories may have come before this, but some boring love stories pt. 5 by Powfu might just be his best. The Canadian artist has been rolling the EPs out over the past couple years, and the latest addition of eight tracks is a solid collection of relatable hits.
Powfu, whose real name is Isaiah Farber, said in a press release, “This is my favourite EP that I’ve released to date. The song ‘the fire in your eyes keeps me warm’ is also my favourite song I’ve written so far. This project as a whole is very special to me and I’m very proud of it. I think the production is a big step up, and I believe my fans will love it just as much as I do.”
“no promises,” featuring Scapegoat, is a strong start to the EP with its twinkling background made even more prominent with the lo-fi nature of the production. It’s an unexpectedly sweet song that sounds like the stars — which isn’t something that seems easy or even makes sense, but it’s exactly what it sounds like.
It’s easy to see why “the fire in your eyes keeps me warm” is Powfu’s favorite track on the EP, because it’s actually a really stunning song full of love. “throw it all away” has a similar feel with a carefully constructed piano melody under the beat. What may be the best song on the EP, though, is “17again.” Before even listening to the track, you have an assumed notion that this song will transport you back to a time gone by. If done well, the song will evoke any emotion you want it to. And it’s done very, very well.
“17again” feels like a stripped-down song from pop-punk bands of yesteryear — the likes of the All-American Rejects, Simple Plan, Yellowcard, and so many others. The nostalgic lyrics are married perfectly with the acoustic sound of the track, making for a standout that’s a little less lo-fi than the rest of the EP but brilliant all the same.
some boring love stories pt. 5 ends with the huge “clash of the titans,” and while initially it seemed like the sweetness of “silver linings” would have made a better ending, a few times listening through the EP made “clash of the titans” feel more fitting. It’s bold, it’s quick, and it shows Powfu rapping at his best. It’s unequivocally Powfu and it feels like the rapper signing on the dotted line to close this chapter.
Overall, the EP feels simple yet complex, exactly what bedroom pop should be. It’s an incredible step up for Powfu, who found huge success in 2020 after his song “death bed (coffee for your head” featuring beabadoobee exploded on TikTok. It has over 2 billion streams and 6 million TikTok clips using the sound. It’s actually a blueprint for how TikTok has been able to catapult artists in certain genres — like lo-fi — into the mainstream. TikTok — and SoundCloud and YouTube before it — relies on the authenticity of its creators, which means those creators are turning to authentic artists for their sounds, hence the prominence of lo-fi. For Powfu, it’s meant incredible success and this huge EP release through Columbia Records. It’s definitely a win.
