Brock Wimberley’s “Here & Now” EP: Imperfect Pop with a Purpose [Listen]

Countless “perfect” pop records flood the music scene every year. Impeccable vocals, precise notes, catchy choruses, and spot-on beats grace these productions, maintaining a steady rhythm throughout. However, Brock Wimberley’s latest EP, “Here & Now,” is far from perfect by design. Wimberley himself describes it as an “intentionally imperfect pop” endeavor.

Crafted during the unrelenting summer heatwave of 2023, “Here & Now” comprises six songs where Wimberley aspires to conjure a lo-fi, Southern summer ambiance. Beyond taking the lead with vocals, Wimberley’s voice serves as the primary instrument on most tracks, and in some instances, such as “South Scott Street Serenade” and “WestSide,” it takes on the sole instrumental role on the EP.

Wimberley, who juggles his musical pursuits with a legal career in New Orleans, commenced his songwriting journey while working from home during the pandemic, primarily on the piano. He previously introduced three songs, produced by Ben Lorio and Jeremy Phipps, namely “Midnight on Royal Street,” “Velvet Lines,” and “McCaulay Culkin,” between 2021 and 2022. A recurring theme in nearly every song he’s unveiled revolves around New Orleans—capturing the essence of living, loving, losing, and growing in this vibrant city.

The tracks within “Here & Now” also stay true to this theme. In releasing his Imperfect Pop EP, Wimberley drew inspiration from Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” album, an iconic work where Springsteen originally recorded the songs as demos on a 4-track recorder with intentions to re-record them alongside the E Street Band but ultimately chose to release them in their raw form. Additionally, Liz Phair’s 1991 self-produced Girly-Sound cassettes influenced his decision.

Wimberley shares,

“The songs resonate with my ear, so I wanted to release them as they are, with all their imperfections, here and now.”