The title to the Edmonton duo Brother Octopus’ debut EP, Yukilo, comes from the two band members’ pets: Yuki the dog and Kilo the cat. Yukilo has two main themes throughout the album: their pets and the sea. The album begins with “Yuki,” which starts with slow and calming guitar riffs, then turns into a harmony between the female and male singer, with corny lyrics about the pet, like how Yuki should stop licking his paw. “Yuki” is just a 43 second glimpse of what Brother Octopus has to offer, though. Yukilo turns to “Underwater Mysteries,” with the music reminding me greatly of The XX – harmonies between a female and male singer with simplistic, yet relaxing, chord progressions and drum beats. This is just fine for a relaxing, late night drive down Portage Avenue. But, the lyrics are difficult to take seriously. One of the more ridiculous lines in the song being, “Titanic was a tragedy/ but now it’s part of history/ Just like the Little Mermaid 3/ That went straight to DVD/ An epic fail for Walt Disney.” The next two songs, “Old Computer” and “Amusement Park” are personal favourites. There’s something about the harmony in “Old Computer” that sends a slight chill up your spine, with lyrics that, although silly, are a common occurrence for everyone: a computer breaking down. “Amusement Park” adds some variety to the album, with more focus on distorted synth, and bass coming out from the background and taking a lead part in the song. Brother Octopus is definitely an interesting duo that I would definitely suggest listening to. But be sure to give them more than one chance, because getting past the silly lyrics may take some time. (Independent, brothersoctopus.ca) Shanell Dupras