Material: Santa Monica indie pop duo Only Bricks are the definition of quirky, hipster pop. With debut EP Foundation, the pair channels instrumental characteristics similar to Grouplove and new-school Walk The Moon while vocalist Anne DiGiovanni projects clean, peppy vocals to sing-along worthy lyrics. Foundation is filled with cutesy, bubblegum power-pop anthems that you can’t help but belt out on a road trip with your best friends. From airing the frustrations of toxic relationships (“Twisted,” “Aftermath”) to getting in dance party mode (“Get On The Floor”) to relating to the daily life of an L.A. resident (“California”), there is a song for everyone to enjoy.
Musicianship: Only Bricks comprises a husband and wife songwriting duo whose goal is to release fun, relatable music that can appeal to the masses. DiGiovanni’s precise yet spirited vocal style (Bonnie McKee, Anna Kendrick) paired with Lewczak’s clearly seasoned instrumentation are the perfect combination to bring to life the “rebellious-girl-next-door” feel that their lyrics possess. Recording-wise, I could see people thinking that DiGiovanni’s Disney Princess voice is Autotuned. However, when you hear her perform live you see and hear her dedication to perfection.
Performance: Only Bricks easily got the crowd on their feet and heavily involved in singing along not only to their newly released tracks, but also to their covers of power-pop classics “I Saw The Sign” by Ace of Base and “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia. Trance-y looping of DiGiovanni’s vocals and her enthusiastic frontwoman persona made it hard to take your eyes off her while her constant interaction with Joseph really proved the strength of their relationship both personally and professionally.
It’s very clear that Only Bricks have put a fair amount of thought into how they want to be perceived by their audience. Each move by the duo was carefully calculated and almost overly perfected. They sound exactly like their recordings, which most of the time is a very good thing, especially when they bring an extra fire to their live performance. At certain points, however, it felt as if DiGiovanni was the female lead in a musical theater production.
Summary: Only Bricks has the makings of the next big pop duo, especially with the strength and professionalism they bring to their recorded work and live performances. Both artists clearly have the energy, talent, passion, skills and drive to become a highly successful act. Nevertheless, loosening the reins a bit on the “perfection” aspect could really help project this duo to superstardom.
Contact: [email protected]
Web: onlybricksband.com
Players: Anne DiGiovanni, vocals, piano; and Joseph Lewczak, guitar, backup vocals
