The Reptar EP

Download and listen to "Context Clues":


The fictional green dinosaur named Reptar is viewed as a hero who helps save the world. Perhaps that’s why this Athens, GA quartet decided to name their band after the fictional green dinosaur… The EP is a four song set giving the world its first look into the kaleidoscopic and infectious synth-pop world of Reptar. Lyrically, it’s self-reflective and mature beyond the songwriter’s years until the comical rap “Track 4” a dirty and confused little narrative that I’m glad made it onto the EP. Although only four songs, the range of influences is notable as the band channels the more pop-oriented Modest Mouse canonical stylings on “Houseboat Babies,” a pummeling drums-and-synth rock song. “Context Clues” has the swirling, repetitive clutter of “Summertime Clothes” as lead singer repeats the “you came to see the good things” in a hypnotic fashion amongst sitar-ish keys, bird calls, a ticking clock and other dissonant sounds. Comparisons to fellow psych-synth pop artists like Animal Collective and Passion Pit will be unavoidable down the road (not a bad thing by any stretch), but I promise you these tracks are worthy of a listen. This is neither 2008’s [MGMT] synth pop nor last year’s [Passion Pit], as Reptar manages to create yet another nook in the ever-expanding genre. The only thing seeming to hold these younguns back is a full class load and geographical separation amongst band members [still in college at UGA, Dartmouth and UNC-Asheville]. Like Animal Collective (“Four walls and adobe slats for my girls”), Reptar’s demands aren’t much (All we want from life is big boy beds and a climax in our heads), but I implore any indie A & R label head to scoop these guys up before it’s too late. Remember, at this point last year, Passion Pit was just a little band with an EP, and look where they are now…



From “Phonetics”:

Music, no, I’ve never heard of the Collective

But once I heard their music I liked them too

Institution? No, I’ve never fought the institution

And beat poets are too self-indulgent for me

Punk shows? No I enjoy mood music

And violent moods are too self-indulgent for me


Rugrats (remember that show?) episode, "The Search for Reptar":

All Grown Up - The Curse of Reptar