Self-invented solo artist Fredo “Disco” Fosco makes waves with his newly released EP “School Spirit”. It was not the first EP he has dropped on the music streaming platform Soundcloud, and certainly will not be his last.

A promising young artist in the making, Fosco has a solid following of over 1000 followers on Soundcloud and almost 250,000 plays. “School Spirit” should be on its way to earning him much more fame than this.

The EP is short and sweet–22 minutes and seven tracks long, including one bonus track. Although it may be short, it is anything but plain.

Fosco offers a variety of what I would classify as “new-genre alternative” music and intrigues listeners with his unique style and intense, yet relatable teen experience. He starts off with a track called “Shower Song” which carries cheerful and energetic guitar riffs that make you want to bop your head along with the tune.

He keeps the song moving with fast-paced lyrics about a no-good ex-girlfriend that make anyone with a similar experience want to yell the lyrics with him. Fosco doesn’t hold back and really lets his raw emotions shine through, which makes the song that much more meaningful. Not to mention, the use of the kazoo in the outro adds a unique and memorable element to the song that makes it stand out from any other.

Similarly, “Saturn SUV” comes in hard with a harsh, but realistic message about his ex yet again. Probably my favorite on the album, “Saturn SUV” presents his relationship problems in a relatable way. Fosco clearly shows off his compositional artistry in this track by contrasting the first verse with a short, punchy and exciting chorus followed by a flowy bridge to transition smoothly into the second verse.

Fosco switches it up and slows it down a bit in the tracks “Temporary Tattoo” and “Chicago,” which helps to add variety to the album and shows his versatility as an artist. Another positive of these songs is he chooses to employ a wider range of vocals than previous songs, especially in the outro of “Chicago,” my personal favorite part of the song. Part of me wishes he utilized this more often in the album.

Although I am usually not one to appreciate slow songs, Fosco managed to maintain the flow of the album with these and kept my interest by allowing his emotion to flow freely and pulling at listeners’ nostalgic heartstrings.

Another favorite of mine, “Community College (High School 2.0),” picks up the rapid pace again. Similar to “Shower Song,” Fosco fools us by masking harsh lyrics about his ex with an upbeat tune. I welcome this decision by the artist because it forces a person to actually listen to the song rather than just hearing it.

Once again, Fosco pulls me in with “48 Hours” with meaningful and descriptive lyrics. The guitar transitions really give the song depth and illustrate a more developed artist. This track scratches much deeper than the surface and embodies the emotions that so many experience.

Fosco finishes off with a piano version of his song “Chicago”. A slightly slower version of the original, the pace adds drama and anticipation to amplify emotion while piano chords are cohesive and soothing. Overall, a nice touch to wrap the whole album together and to showcase his dynamicity and fluidity between different styles.

I commend Fosco for his success as a high school-aged artist and offering something different from anything else you can listen to today.

The choice of the artist to use the second person in all of his songs was interesting to me and drew me in. I felt that it allows the listener to feel more connected to the music and to really emerge themselves in the emotion of the song.

One of the things I adore about this album was the feeling of rawness in the way in which the album was recorded. The artist is able to showcase his true talent without overdoing it with any unnecessary synths and recording techniques you would get at a fancy recording studio. The simplicity of the instrumentals and vocals is what makes it for me and gives me a vibe very similar to The Front Bottoms’ first and best studio album.

The one thing I wish I saw more of though would be the artist’s impressive range of vocals. Most of his songs rely pretty consistently on the same range of notes, but I feel like the points in which he did stray from this really highlighted the album and added a stroke of artistry.

Overall, I would be pleased to give this EP a 4.5/5. With such a strong start, the artist has a lot of potential to improve and continue producing original and enjoyable music for all.