On “Red Machine,” the opening track from Baltimore-via-Atlanta psych-pop band Tomato Flower’s debut EP, Gold Arc, vocalist Austyn Wohlers paints a vibrant but vague scene. “Red machine/Red all across the world/Red arena/Red the provincial girl,” she sings in her Laetitia-Sadier-meets-Greta-Kline voice, and it could mean just about anything. But Wohlers’ steady, comforting delivery and the band’s sun-dappled guitars and synths—a sound only a few steps off from soon-to-be tourmates Animal Collective—produce a sense of wonder that erases any questions.
“Red Machine” is a prime example of what Tomato Flower does well. Gold Arc, released in February 2022, and Construction, its August 2022 companion, are most effective when the music is catchy enough to make up for head-scratching lyrics. Wohlers takes a more direct approach on Construction’s “Blue” as she recites a financial wishlist: money, vacations, stocks, dividends. She gives each item a whole line in the stanza, leaving ample space for her requests to sink in as chirping guitars and prismatic synths present a contrasting bliss. It’s as specific and memorable as Tomato Flower get on these EPs.
When the melodies are strong, what they’re saying matters less than how they’re saying it. On Construction’s “Aparecida,” whistling synths and nonchalant guitars back vocalist Jamison Murphy’s full-throated but gentle performance. Though tuneful, it lacks lucid, memorable lyrics: “In dreams, I saw/But does it change a thing for me/This visitation?” It’s not the only time the strength of the music allows Tomato Flower to get away with lyrics that seem only partially thought out. Gold Arc’s “Shying” showcases guitar arpeggios and overdriven riffage that make for a strong EP closer even as the band’s imagery—“Oh, rectify me/No one’s ever gonna find you/In my pocket”—doesn’t reveal much.
Construction and Gold Arc falter when Tomato Flower hold back both lyrically and musically. “Take me to that place, the other side/Take me to where they are glorified,” Wohlers sings on the slow, arid Construction cut “Fancy.” She seems to be describing some fading paradise and a magical ascent to heaven—yet the vocal performances, guitar lines, and synths sound exhausting, not inspiring. Of the two EPs, Construction is more lyrically direct and musically sharp; had the band opted to replace “Fancy” with highlights from Gold Arc, the combined record might have better hit the mark. At their catchiest, Tomato Flower strike a fusion of twee pop and psychedelia that invites you into their inexplicably beguiling world, even if they’re still in the process of building it.
