Dave Depper | en

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Dave Depper has made a name for himself as an enduring sideman to myriad road-dogs, established bands and Portland-based artists for over a decade. The indispensable nature of his vocation as a collaborator, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist helps explain why he’s only now releasing his first solo album, despite a lifetime’s worth of hired-hand contributions. And even with the expectation that his resume might presume at least one good album’s worth of material, Emotional Freedom Technique was born from a kind of dare to write 20 songs in 12 hours. Depper isn’t the first artist to attempt this challenge but he’s probably the first to have it yield such an unexpected result.

Despite the conceivable creative speed bumps that could very well be conjured from such a rapid-fire process, Depper’s solo debut finds him embracing his ability to play any number of styles very well. And he performs every shred of music on the record himself. The proceeding onslaught of synth-pocked escapades found on Emotional Freedom Technique lays bare his exploratory ambitions, folding romantically ornate disco-pop up with a soulful musical wanderlust. .