Tolstoy

Tolstoy’s debut EP plays out like a series of (sometimes literal) Greek tragedies, tormenting a cast of characters underneath a wash of post-rock guitars and a restrained but stewing rhythm section. The Denver quintet trades their post-emo roots for a wide-angle lens, inflating personal questions to a cosmic scale. Frontman CJ Welch’s pop/R&B propensities float undeterred atop jarring instrumentals and gang vocals, resulting in a sound that feels composed despite its miscellany. As a drunk R. Kelly takes the Foo Fighters on a misguided rafting trip down the river Styx, one can’t help but feel a sense of catharsis that justifies the relentless weight of Loss and its themes.