Graduation Speech
Maintenance Required
(Black Numbers)
4/5
“Getting lost in the music” is the perfect way to explain what happens when spinning Graduation Speech’s new five-song EP, Maintenance Required. The EP is a great way to get the day started, to pass time waiting for the bus, or to get re-energized during a work break.
Maintenance Required is the second solo EP by Kevin Day, also known as Graduation Speech. The New Jersey musician, who also plays in pop-punkers Aspiga, released his first solo EP, Quiet & Calm, in 2017—with its acoustic sounds and mellow lyrics it worked so well in pulling the listener into the music. Maintenance Required’s songs are very close in sound to Quiet & Calm’s, however, the addition of electric guitar and percussion grabbed my attention and got my foot tapping along with the beat of the songs immediately.
“Ourselves,” the second song on the EP, starts out with a strong steady beat and then adds Day’s rhythmic voice to create a track that perfectly sums up and showcases the sounds found on this EP.