Previously in now disbanded Auckland indie act Charlie Freak, Ethan Moore finds passive aggression in his solo Dirty Pixels ’ debut EP.

For the most part, ‘Spacesuit’ moves at an energetic pace, but in pockets of serenity, Moore opens up a window into his life of youthful angst.

Mastered by Jonathan Pearce (The Beths, Artisan Guns) the EP holds its own with local releases this year both in quality and style, shown back in May when the title track single topped bFM’s charts, beating Ladi6, Kane Strang and SWIDT, all featuring that week.

On ‘Spacesuit’ chipperness meets pessimism, with little room for positivity on what can only be perceived as an unhealthy breakup; “Meeting you was such a sad day for me… being you is such a bad way to be”, he sings.

Despite underlying anger, the light-hearted backing vocals bounce along giving the song a weightless momentum.

Rhetorical Baby is a powerhouse of layers, finishing the EP off with a dynamic guitar solo, held together by the pitter patter of drums. The lyrics of this track spawned from a series of recorded voice memos during a late night band practise back in 2014 with members of Charlie Freak and Doubleu.

Dirty Pixels’ music is fresh and fun.

Throughout the EP there are no attempts at hiding how truly confusing it is to be young, which is why Dirty Pixels’ sounds so alive.

Moore eloquently captures a place in life that most find too complicated to express, and he does so within the space of 15 minutes.