Casa Loma's debut EP "This Is Coping"-- collaborative review

Nik Bruzzese of Man Overboard has hit it out of the park with the release of his new EP, This Is Coping for his solo project, Casa Loma.  There’s no denying the sound is worlds apart from that of Man Overboard - but it is executed perfectly.  It’s a fresh, vibrant and atmospheric indie-rock EP - with minimalist drums, making the acoustic guitar take center-stage. You can check out This Is Coping right here on All Punked Up. Be sure to check out our album review below! Keep up with Casa Loma on social media!

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This Is Coping is a beautifully raw representation of Bruzzese's grief process.

This Is Coping was supposed to be a way for Bruzzese to process his grief, having experienced the loss of Cold Collective singer, Tim Landers, and his father, within a very short timeframe.  This can be felt in the first track on the EP, “All Alone Again” - “ I don’t want to live this way and I don’t want to say, I’m all alone again”.   In “DP23”, Bruzzese paints a picture of the effects of grief. He’s created a track that can resonate with anybody.  Considering he said, “these songs were not supposed to see the light of day at all”, there’s no denying this EP will resonate with any listener.   “Famaglia” is written for Tim Landers, told through the perspective of his widow - it’s beautifully written but heart-wrenching too.  Although an upsetting subject matter, Bruzzese does include elements of optimism that run through the tracks.  Speaking about the project, Bruzzese said, “I’m a very happy go lucky and positive person who will talk to anyone - I wanted to put myself out there and use that positivity in a way that can help somebody else get through a difficult situation.”   In “I Wanna Know”, we really feel Bruzzese’s vulnerability at the beginning. It feels so raw-- just him and his guitar singing about how he doesn’t wanna be there. The song quickly picks up to a more dancing tune, but the lyrics remain open and sad, yet relatable. At the end of the track, it slows back down to the sounds of the intro.  “Olivia, Marley, and the Duck Pond” is one of my favorites. Bruzzese shared about the song when it dropped: “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. 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.” This track is so personal and invites listeners into his heart and his family.  The closing track “Travelers” highlights the emotions and experiences explained throughout the EP. “Show me the way, lead me back home” is the repeated lyric at the end of the song which ends the record perfectly. Bruzzese has finally coped with his emotions and grief-- he is ready to go back home. It pulls on the heartstrings and finishes the album perfectly.  Tracklisting 

• All Alone Again 

• DP23 

• Famaglia

• I Wanna Know 

• Olivia, Marley, and Duck Pond

• Travelers

For more APU reviews, click here! This article was a collaborative piece created by All Punked Up authors Evie Shaw and Julia Pearl