image courtesy of Preston Lydotes

EP Review of Preston Lydotes: Stranger at Best

Preston Lydotes is a talented singer-songwriter who moved from Boston to Nashville to continue pursuing his art during since I reviewed his killer single “Wrong” last year; hey, anything that helps him build his career and share his talents is good for music fans. Well, “Wrong” is one of the five exceptional songs on Lydotes’ Stranger at Best EP.

The EP kicks off with the title track, “Stranger at Best,” on which Lydotes’ plaintive wails combine with a sonic wall of rich, alternative pop-rock power to create a moving number that’s so overpowering you’re almost glad it clocks in at just 2:12 because you’d be nothing but a quivering puddle of human jelly on your living room floor from trying to withstand the sheer power of the song – even moreso if you paid attention to the love-lost lyrical content – if the track had lasted even three minutes, let alone a more typical four. To be fair, though, none of the songs on the EP reach four minutes. Length isn’t necessary because Preston wastes no time in painting his musical pictures.

photo by Asher Thomas; photo courtesy of Preston Lydotes

“Stranger at Best” is a great lead-in to the slower-building “Wrong,” which is so mellow and chill in the beginning that it offers a chance to catch your breath. Better do it fast, though, because “Wrong” is a slow-build that reaches the same powerful heights as the EP’s title track did before employing a stylish fade at the end. If this is your first exposure to Preston Lydotes, this will be the point at which you realize you’re listening to a truly special, exceptionally talented artist, one who’s probably gonna take you on one emotional roller coaster ride after another with his powerful songs. And that’s fine ; you’re not gonna mind.

“The Critic,” next, is musically sweeter and more thoughtfully introspective, mixing chart-topping ’90s jangly guitar (Matchbox 20, anyone?) with a rich, modern music bed that’s oh-so-clearly mid-2020s, all tied together by Lydotes’ emphatic, emotional, piercing vocal wails.

Track four, “5 to 9,” provides a new sound, its opening guitar licks falling somewhere between George Thorogood and the Georgia Satellites. It’s a very cool twist on Lydotes’ sound, signaling the EP’s most energetic, pop-rockin’ entry. To me, “5 to 9” seems like the most likely song on the EP to have the broadest cross-genre (and cross-generation) appeal. It’s also the Stranger at Best song that’s most likely to fill a dancefloor.

“The Fallout” slows things down significantly to close this 5-song collection. It’s a heartwrenching, richly-textured balladic sad song, utilizing a wide-open spacey arrangement and softly emotional vocals to bring the listener all the way down to near-tears, with the lyrics noting “Well I hope you always know that I loved you from the start. But the fallout is a lit cigarette and a broken heart.” Sniff. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Yeah, it’s just five songs, not quite even 15 minutes, but damn, that’s a full collection. Preston Lydotes doesn’t need more than that to let you know he’s a rare talent. Check out this EP. Start following him now. And hopefully join me to enjoy a lifetime of powerful music from this young artist.