I spent the evening with “Panic Tax” and ended up pressing play twice before I even realized. Ethan William Bowers has this way of pulling you in without pushing. The guitars ring out sharp and deliberate. The pedal steel bends just right and the drums hit with a heartbeat that keeps everything moving. “Careful Little Game” opens the EP and I found myself nodding along. Caught in the spaces between the lines where the lyrics linger like a half-forgotten conversation.
“Ordinary People” grabbed me next. Its indie-rock chords threading through folk melodies in a unique and catchy way. I could almost see the band in the studio. Cale Gerst behind the drums, Jacob Gutzwiller holding the bass steady, Jonah Leatherman’s pedal steel gliding over the riffs, Mitch Fraizer’s lead guitar adding that subtle bite. All of them letting Ethan’s voice cut through cleanly.
By the time “All Things End” rolled around. I was smiling at the rhythm of it. The clever little shifts in melody make you want to hum along. The title track, “Panic Tax” lands at the end like a gentle push back into reality. Leaving a quiet satisfaction that makes you start again.
Honestly? This EP is alive. It’s the kind of record you can sit with, rewind and still notice something new. Ethan and his band The Painted Strangers have made something I’ll be coming back to often. I can’t help but be impressed by how real it all feels.
