Tapir! are alluring in every sense of the word. Perhaps you stumbled upon them live, drawn in by their signature papier-mâché red heads and elaborate sense of performance. Perhaps it was their debut, narrative driven EP ‘Act 1 (The Pilgrim)’, a captivating tale swirling with vivid symbolism and witty lyrics that caught your attention. Or maybe you’re a stranger to their lucid and folkloreish world, yet to be drawn in by their self-assured and enticing use of mediums to convey a complex and beguiling odyssey of narrative.
In any case, the release of today’s EP ‘Act 2 (Their God)’, the second of three planned EPs, which sends their pilgrim on a voyage through an oceanic and tumultuous world, is bound to capture your attention. It is a rare kind of release, so confidently brilliant and elaborately thought out, and it places Tapir! assuredly in the category of one of the most exciting acts making music right now.
Tapir!’s allure is found in their captivating ability to merge the familiar and the mystical. Their lyrics are filled with allusions that span from the mythological to the modern, with plenty of references to their own small but rich discography. But underpinning the deft lore is an undeniably genuine sense of vulnerability and emotion. They are artists at their best, projecting the mundanity of the universal through an array of complex images and stories.
Tracks such as ‘Eidolon’ strip the band back to basics, using beautifully picked guitar and raw vocals to convey the vulnerability and adoration of storytelling at the heart of Tapir!’s complex world. The use of a narrator across the band’s discography, as seen again in the opening track of the EP ‘Act 2 (Their God)’ serves as a reminder of the narrative driven nature of their music, and the ways in which each track and story has been consciously constructed by the band and shared, providing just a glimpse into a far more complex and lore driven world.
The music itself swells and falls to mimic the ocean heavy imagery of the lyrics. It carefully balances surges of emotion, accompanied by beautifully instrumented waves of strings, with more stripped back and simple songwriting. We may only be midway through the pilgrim’s first tale, but we cannot wait to hear what his future may hold.
We chat with Tapir! in Issue Forty-One of So Young Magazine. Grab a copy here.
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