B-Side Guys

While heartbreak often spawns saccharine pop ballads, Missing Pet’s “Sentimental Germ EP” arrives like a jolt of electricity to the system. Released on September 24, 2024 – coinciding with frontman Adam Marek Platek’s birthday – this four-track, 15-minute odyssey through the wreckage of a failed relationship is as bracing as it is cathartic.

Born from the crucible of pandemic isolation and personal upheaval, Missing Pet has evolved from a series of experimental singles into a fully-formed artistic vision. Platek, a Montreal native now based in Toronto, brings a genre-fluid approach to alt-pop that defies easy categorization.

The EP kicks off with “Bad Vibes Only,” a title that sets the tone for the emotional landscape we’re about to traverse. Platek’s vocals, raw and unvarnished, ride atop a bed of glitchy electronics and distorted guitars. It’s a sonic representation of the cognitive dissonance that follows a breakup, where familiar patterns suddenly feel alien and wrong.

“I Used to Care” follows, its deceptively upbeat tempo belying lyrics that cut to the bone. Platek’s songwriting shines here, finding universal truth in specific details. When he sings about the mundane aspects of a relationship turned sour, it’s with the precision of a surgeon wielding a scalpel.

The EP’s centerpiece, “Hit Where It Hurts,” is a tour de force of emotional vulnerability. Platek’s vocal performance is particularly noteworthy here, ranging from a whisper to a scream as he grapples with the realization that love isn’t always enough. The production, handled by the incomparable Josh Korody at Wychwood Sound, perfectly captures the song’s raw intensity.

Closing out the EP is “Papercuts,” a fitting metaphor for the lingering pain of a relationship’s end. Here, Platek’s eclectic influences come to the fore, with echoes of Nine Inch Nails’ industrial aggression melding seamlessly with ’80s synthpop textures. It’s a bold sonic choice that pays off, leaving the listener both drained and exhilarated.

What sets “Sentimental Germ EP” apart is its unflinching honesty. Platek doesn’t shy away from the uglier aspects of heartbreak – the pettiness, the spite, the self-destructive impulses. Yet there’s a thread of self-awareness running through the EP that elevates it beyond mere navel-gazing.

The production throughout is crisp and innovative, balancing organic and electronic elements with skill. Recorded in a single day, the EP has an urgency that serves the material well. There’s no time for second-guessing or overpolishing; every rough edge and raw nerve is left exposed.

Platek’s lyrics are particularly noteworthy. He has a knack for turning phrases that stick in your mind long after the music fades. Lines like “It’s easy to fall in love; we’ve all been there, but how do you climb out of love?” encapsulate complex emotions with deceptive simplicity.

At just over 15 minutes, “Sentimental Germ EP” is a brief but potent listening experience. It’s the kind of record that demands to be played on repeat, each listen revealing new layers of meaning and sonic detail.

Missing Pet’s evolution from pandemic project to fully-realized artistic statement is impressive. Platek has taken the isolation and introspection forced upon us all during lockdown and alchemized it into something vital and necessary.

For fans of emotionally honest, sonically adventurous alt-pop, “Sentimental Germ EP” is essential listening. It’s a record that doesn’t just wear its heart on its sleeve – it rips that heart out and holds it up to the light, examining every scar and imperfection.

In a musical landscape often dominated by artifice and easy answers, Missing Pet offers something rarer and more valuable: truth, in all its messy, complicated glory. “Sentimental Germ EP” is more than just a breakup record; it’s a testament to the healing power of art, a reminder that even in our darkest moments, creation can be a lifeline.

As we emerge from the collective trauma of the past few years, records like this serve as important markers of where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. Missing Pet may have started as a response to feeling trapped, but with “Sentimental Germ EP,” Adam Marek Platek has found a way to break free – and he’s inviting us all along for the ride.