Casa Loma is the new solo project of Nik Bruzzese of long-running pop punk band Man Overboard, and going by the songs he’s released off his upcoming debut EP This Is Coping so far, it’s a much more somber, atmospheric, indie-rock style (and much more personal) project than Man Overboard. Nik says he “started writing this EP as a therapy session for myself” partially because “when you’re a dad and have two daughters like I do, you’re not allowed to be sad,” and new single “Olivia, Marley, and the Duckpond” is directly related to fatherhood and the anxieties that come with it.
“After years on the road, I bought the house I grew up in from my mom. The name of the neighborhood is Duck Pond, and now I get to live there with my wife and daughters, Olivia and Marley,” Nik tells us. “On the surface, this song is about giving my kids a home and how much it sucks for them that I know all the house’s secrets, because I spent almost a decade trying to sneak out of it. But on a deeper level it deals with darker stuff; me trying to give them a song, a message, for the day I’m not around.”
Musically, “Olivia, Marley, and the Duckpond” is yet another triumphant, ambitious taste of this EP. What starts out sounding like a somber acoustic folk song becomes string and horn-laden chamber pop that’ll take you right back to mid 2000s Arcade Fire-era indie. It’s great-sounding, powerful stuff, and it premieres below.
This Is Coping comes out June 5 via Pure Noise (pre-order).