The point of an EP, technically, is to show listeners capability across multiple lines of thought; meaning an EP doesn’t have to be cohesive. It’s a platform that allots a few shots to spawn something notable and get the name circling in hopes of acquiring the capacity to produce an LP. Of course that has changed over the years and EPs can be as profound as a record with 12 tracks. Regardless, Louis The Child are taking the old school route with their EP debut, Love Is Alive. The 6-track collection tackles different classifications of chill while intermingling universal scenarios and political nuances.

“Phone Died” features Blaise Railey rapping about a situation we’ve all experienced one too many times–a phone running out of battery. It’s a straight-forward nod to broken communication over subdued synth and fast hip-hop beats. It’s also the only style of its kind found throughout the EP in regards to sound and humor. But even with its funnier nature, the line “don’t confuse my phone with my love” takes a deeper look at the first world crisis and criticizes what people with 100% charge are always thinking.

“Fire” and “World On Fire” come off like a Michael Moore documentary, speaking out against the way movers are shaking lives. Evalyn sings “I’m leaving this whole mad city to burn, and I’ll watch it go down” on “Fire” in hopes of surrendering to the stars and leaving behind a frustrating life of late paychecks and costly rent. The capitulation develops further in “World On Fire” with Ashe delicately cooing, over a track with Norah Jones levels of chill, “We’ll hide behind the money that’s the way it goes. The world could be on fire and we wouldn’t know.” The immediate signs of desperation in both tracks capitalize deeper struggles than simply a phone dying. The two tracks, which couldn’t be more clashing musically, tightly pack some heavy duty issues and seem slightly out of place from the rest of the EP.

From “Phone Died” to “World On Fire,” Louis The Child play around with two opposite extremes of chill. Their voices are always clearly established. But because there is a lot of divergent content and sounds mixed together over the course of 6 tracks with average-lengths, the EP comes off overwhelming and too deep for its own good. Its message is overly condensed with far too many pieces of information under told. The title track, which ends the EP, expresses a yearning for love–exactly what each track before it is crying out for. And it would be more impactful if the journey for salvation took its time. OK.