BWW Album Review: Ethan Slater's LIFE IS WEIRD EP Short and Sweetly Introspective

In late July, Tony-nominated actor/writer/musician Ethan Slater - best known for his award winning portrayal of the titular character in SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS - released his second EP, LIFE IS WEIRD. The short and sweetly introspective record features two original songs and a cover. The three tracks allow listeners an intimate peek behind the yellow-hued, bubbly effervescence we associate the artist to see the man behind the sponge for whom he really is.

The maturation of Slater from delightful cartoonish caricature to well-rounded, versatile artist via this recording is no accident. "The three songs all speak to a certain element of my growing up and seizing the moment, whatever that means," says Slater in the press materials for LIFE IS WEIRD. "When I was performing on Broadway, I got to hear from a lot of young people who reached out with a lot of questions about 'life.' Things there was no way I could answer. And it made me think about myself in high school, and the anxiety of all those unanswerable questions (which I never solved). So I wrote LIFE IS WEIRD, to make some sense of my experience going through that."

The EP opens with "Under the Cathedral," a plaintive and universally relatable reflection on the symbols and action(s) we cling to for guidance when we face forks in the road of our individual paths. The song has a rather generic indie singer/songwriter vibe and sound. Yet, it pulls the listener in and swiftly exposes the heart of the tune to our ears. For Slater, the moment that inspired this track was when he, at 20, stood before the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and contemplated whether or not he should ask out the girl he was in love with before he returned north. "At the time it seemed like the most significant moment EVER," Slater writes in the press materials. "And now, it's still pretty important to me. She and I got married last year."

The titular track, "Life is Weird," continues in the same indie singer/songwriter vibe as the first track. However, it has a certain shimmering intensity that makes this tune deftly more catchy, delicious, and wholly more satisfying emotionally and mentally for the listener. "Life is Weird" is equal parts ode and paean to the struggles and triumphs of life's disillusionments and hardships. The song expounds upon how embracing the absurdity and oddity of what life throws at us gives us the strength and resolve we need to soldier on.

The EP closes with a cover of the Phoenix song "Lisztomania." Slater has stripped the track down to its studs, retaining the essence and underpinnings of the original version. He has also massively reduced the tempo, which allows him to rebuild and remodel the tune that started as a chaotic alternative, punk-inspired dance track into something more quietly personal and reflective.

Of note, in the press materials, Slater and his team acknowledge that "in a time where energy, and money, needs to be focused on the importance of Black Lives in the face of systemic oppression, and BIPOC disproportionately affected by COVID19, it feels difficult to go on releasing art as though the world is just 'weird' and not unjust. In that vein, proceeds from this EP will go to The National Bail Fund and to Protect Native Elders, 'a 100% volunteer-based organization [...] getting PPE and other necessities to Native American communities across the country.'"

You can find the LIFE IS WEIRD EP on Slater's Spotify page. For more information about Slater, please visit https://www.ethanslater.com/, or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

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