Kyoto’s Homecomings have excelled at turning the heartbreaks of daily life into big musical fireworks over their last two albums, and through two major-label releases have subtly expanded on this mid-tempo approach. There’s nothing wrong with an artist choosing to explore consistency over radical artistic swings, and for the most part you know what to expect from a Homecomings’ song. Yet “Play Yard Symphony,” the first song from their new Symphony EP out this week, shows they are always adding new elements. It still features the same slob, guitar-centered build to a big, longing chorus featuring detail-rich lyrics (one about “a basketball bouncing down the basement stairs” being a highlight) but now they are buffed out by violins, upping the drama at the center of the song even more. And when that stretch vanishes, it leads to one of the best guitar solos the band has ever laid down, a segment capturing the ennui just as well as the words. Listen above.
