Pool Party EP – The New Tropics
The New Tropics’ new EP, Pool Party, is a powerful record that remains straight-to-the-point while capturing the trio’s unique style and putting their creativity on full display. From the opening track, ironically titled “The End”, the band pulls no punches. Only a few seconds in, this song gives a clear idea of what the band’s newest project holds: watertight grooves laying the foundation for steady basslines and wistful guitar licks, topped with vocal hooks that are sure to resurface in your mind. “Life would be easy if someone would make up the end,” sings Cait Fisler, playfully commenting on the struggle that is modern living as the band carries on behind her.
Taking the second spot on the track list, “Far From It” shifts the tone to something you would expect to hear during the opening sequence of a movie about freshman year of college in the early 2000s. This spirited song briefly steers the project towards a more pop-punk sound while maintaining the band’s novel style, showcasing a solo from guitarist Scott Wilson that directly nods to the group’s current stationing in Music City. At the end of the second track, the atmosphere is immediately tilted back towards the melancholic, guitar-driven pop-rock that fans have come to love from the band. The title track of the project, “Pool Party”, sits directly in the middle of the EP. Wasting no time, the song starts with a pillowy intro before quickly moving into a chorus packed with heavy guitars, thick drums, and the band’s signature melodies that have made their music so memorable. The song features a thoughtfully arranged bridge that emphasizes the dynamic control that The New Tropics have developed through years of musical collaboration and close friendship.
Fisler and Wilson start the fourth song of the EP in a way that is familiar to them: with a raw, intimate introduction before Tim Pombo joins “Where You Need Me” on drums to deliver a head-banging anthem that leads back into the band’s more punk-rock influences. Group vocals yell out through the arrangement, backing up Fisler as she sings, “I want to be exactly where you need me,” atop the rushing instrumental. It’s a song that you would definitely want to hear loud and live at one of Nashville’s famous DIY shows. After taking the audience on an energetic ride across the first four songs, the group chose to let listeners come down from the experience of Pool Party with a gentle track entitled “Somewhere”. The song features only an acoustic guitar and a lightly treated vocal for most of its runtime, with soft harmonies appearing through the choruses, before closing out the 17-minute project with what sounds like the band sitting together and singing the hook as the track fades to silence.
While the members come from different corners the United States, The New Tropics have found a home for their sound in Nashville, garnering dedicated supporters and a name for themselves as one of the city’s leading sources for independent pop-rock. The success they’ve seen in their first three years as an ensemble shows a clear direction for the future of the group, so no one should be passing up any opportunity to see how they execute these songs on stage. Your next chance to see this band live will be on September 29th at Drkmttr on Dickerson Pike, which leaves plenty of time to get accustomed to the catalog of music they currently have. Pool Party is a vibrant example of what combining influences, truth, and energy into a cohesive project sounds like. It’s no surprise that The New Tropics are making waves in the Music City scene, and they’ve shown exactly why they deserve the recognition they’ve received with this new EP. The only hard part about listening to this record is resisting the urge to immediately play it again.
Pool Party was released on August 7th, 2026.
Listen to Pool Party • Watch the Pool Party music video • Follow The New Tropics
