From the first bars of the title track, Evinston, Fla. singer-songwriter Lauris Vidal wants you to know what this EP has in store for you. The nearly four-minute jam is opens with the plunking sound of one of Vidal’s homemade instruments, and the song is centered around a head bobbing, muddy bass line that will leave you locked in for each and every freaky, folked-out minute of Better Part.

What’s more interesting about the fire found in Better Part is how the leadoff track’s energy effortlessly flows from track to track. Vidal has always commanded attention when he hits the stage, and whether he’s withering and squirming during a solo acoustic set, or leading his band through exhilarating versions of his songs, the 33-year-old has always made it clear that all he wants you to do is have a good time – and this record is no exception. In fact, you can almost see him smiling from ear to ear on “Movin’.”

Opening with classic alternating bass notes, the cut is easily one of the set’s highlights. It is filled with the hopefulness that’s always marked Vidal’s music as evidenced by the way he sings the line, “There’s only one way/one way to live/with all of your heart and soul.” Vidal's always been a gifted storyteller, and hearing him tell the tale of “driving though the heartland towards the sea” and describing the “laughter in our souls” is surely enough to melt the biggest cynic’s icy heart for at least three-minutes.

Still, if you’re worried that the whole thing is one, big, happy-go-lucky love fest, the EP’s last two tracks will have you thinking again. Closing track, “Would You” features Better Part’s most doom-filled riff and “Tragic” is a slow, musty, crawling reflection on what it’s like to finally move on from something or someone that’s stuck around for far too long. Over a smoky guitar lick, Vidal delivers a fantastic kiss off, singing, “It won’t be tragic when you’re gone.”

Unfortunately for us, the EP’s twenty-five minutes actually go by way too fast. Thankfully, we also have the choice to rewind it back and do it all over again.

Vidal will be performing live this weekend at New World Brewery, check out more info here.