Ray Bull Tries It All On New Album ‘Please Stop Laughing’
At its core, a fine arts art school is expected to breed innovation. Brooklyn-based pop duo Ray Bull (Aaron Graham and Tucker Elkins) show up to break any expectation. Their sophomore album, Please Stop Laughing, comes after years of creating as a unit and is an amalgamation of their practices from visual arts to storytelling. In between the time of their last album release, they achieved viral status in their series “Songs That Are The Same,” where they strip popular songs to their core melodies and create unlikely matches that remind us just how intertwined music is. When taken apart, Radiohead’s “No Surprises" can carry the weight of all the teenage angst that Olivia Rodrigo’s “Deja Vu,” or alternative dream pop hit “Fade Into You” can turn into a turn of the decade top 40 hit in Taylor Swift’s “Lover.”
The obvious curiosity that Ray Bull holds for dissecting music reflects clearly in their newest release. The opening track contains a snare with a 1980’s punch that immediately hooks, with the next being an indie-twang ballad. The dynamic duo doesn’t allow themselves to be constrained by a single genre or expectation, and they hit the ground running. Their emotional vulnerability in conjunction with their playfulness makes for a brutally honest journey across genre and musical range.
The middle of the album takes a semi-dramatic turn, going from high-tempo to “Baby Jean,” an acoustic and bass-heavy confessional. They effortlessly move from one genre to the next, with tracks like “Under Your Eyelid” and “Antifreeze” having notes of ‘70s rock instrumentals and vocal layering. The rest of the album continues to unravel into something raw and honest. The latter half of the LP is reminiscent of Americana storytelling with folk-inspired sonic choices, emphasized in both “Pain And Missouri” and “How Much Money.” Notes of familiarity float within each of these tracks, with the finger picking guitars and musings of observation of the world around them.
Their lyrical approach throughout the project operates as its own instrument, settling within each melody and groove. Whether it's their two voices working in tandem to create an infectious harmony or experimental falsettos, each vocal on any given track takes on its own character, and breathes new life into the song. The end of the album, “Fuck Out,” is a cinematic conclusion to an exploration of musical identity. The beginning autotuned vocals warp with a winding violin and the track builds and builds to a more musical theater-esque ending. Closing out with, “Ladies and gentlemen / I was told the show was over / It’s time to get up now / Get up, get the fuck out / Look out for the door now / Begone, gone / Get up, get the fuck out / Its my time to go to bed now / Begone.”
Please Stop Laughing is a bold declaration of artistry. Not a single track sounds the same, yet they flow and the album stands on its own. Unlike their viral series, this album displays cohesion not through sounding the same, but through the unique union of two artists operating entirely on their own agenda.
