With Gusto continues Eggy's fearless experimentation

The homely and tranquil atmosphere emanated from the short-lived sample then recedes, overthrown by the thrust of brash guitar twangs, irregular thrummings, and a disorderly saxophone. I should suggest you not be disturbed by the track's unruly, hence at times unsettling, structure; this quality is preposterously prominent in their distinctive catalog: a primary feature of their enchanting music.

Eggy have been honing this fine attribute to near perfection since their formation in 2018. It originated in their first-ever EP Billy, as a guideline for their foray into various musical landscapes. Arrived a year later, their debut record, comically titled Bravo!, found the band settling rightfully in surrealism, rendering their music eccentric and splendidly compelling –though it leaves some room for improvement in certain lyrical and musical territories. On With Gusto, however, they seem to fill in most of those potholes while diving deeper into the realm. Almost everything here sounds fastidiously refined and fully fledged: their melody is as crisp and imaginative as ever, and the lyrics are among their finest to date.

Lead single "A Toast to Good Taste" checks all of the boxes; it has furious rhythms, spellbinding instrumentation, and witty, commanding lines that touch – with simultaneous indifference and earnestness – on the diverse multitude of emotions: how we never experience bliss without sorrow, reminiscence without nostalgia, and vice versa. "Make the candles bleed / Sing a song and dance all night long," state them, then follow bitterly with "Toast to your good health," as if to say: Even if you seek pleasure by dancing frenetically, attempting to relinquish the mess within you, it will still crawl back to you nonetheless. "Luckiest Girl in the World" is of the same bittersweet taste; their high-pitched, childlike background singing in the chorus – accompanied by ominous-sounding strummings – may denote dire threats yet to befall the narrator.

Draped in these meaningful lyrics and compositions – along with samples, sparkles, barking (though whether or not they did the act themselves remains a mystery), and even the clinking of literal glasses – With Gusto manifests in itself Eggy's unabashedly quirky and fearless experimentation. They often successfully incorporate these joyous niceties to embellish what's already enthralling (the reading of Gemini's characteristics suits well with their jocular aversion to astrological signs in "Magic 8 Ball"). If they continue this streak of riveting eccentricity, then their exciting pinnacle may only be on the horizon.