Album Review | Supernumeraries Is A Lyrical Showcase For Ezra Williams
Ezra Williams is a singer-songwriter based in Cork, Ireland. With soft vocals and understated instrumentals, Supernumeraries showcases Williams’s songwriting abilities. Using acoustic and the occasional electric guitar, Williams shows a certain aspect of storytelling in their music that is quite introspective for a 21-year-old.
The self-produced record is perfect for a rainy day, staring out your window, contemplating the concept of time and everything life offers. The tone of the album is slow, drawn out, and quite depressing. The emotion within the record is prevalent and quite overwhelming at times, with the brutal honesty and vulnerabilities that Williams writes about.
Songs such as ‘Bleed,’ and ‘My Nose’ use deep basslines and slow tempos to convey the anguish and disdain that Williams feels in regards to their self-esteem, relationship habits, and young relationships. Lyrically, the album works incredibly well, and can encourage the listener to reflect in a similar way to Williams.
While Supernumeraries shows the true artistic nature of their songwriting, the record in itself feels like it’s been done before. There’s a lack of originality when it comes to the instrumentals, and with modern artists like Billie Eilish, the vocal style and sound is a bit overdone. There are points in the album where you wait for a drop or acceleration and you’re left waiting. Sonically, the album showcases Williams age and lack of experience with different genres and techniques.
It could be argued that this was done on purpose, to highlight the lyrics and focus less on the instrumentals, but to truly be a great album, there has to be an all-around refinement and attention to detail that this record lacks. Considering this is a 21-year-old’s first record, it’s to be expected. But the lyrical content of Supernumeraries makes it more than worth listening to.
