_{By Madeline Harris}

If there were an artist who knew exactly how to paint an audio-visual picture for their listeners, it would be Salt Lake-based Scott Lippitt. Specifically, in his 2023 EP, Scenes, where listeners take a seat in a theater showing scenes and snippets from Lippitt’s life.

This EP has it all; each of its six songs mingles with slightly different genres and tones to produce the well-rounded portrait of Lippitt’s life that is Scenes. Fans of witty indie? Lippitt’s got you covered. Grunge lovers? There is something for you, too. If you’re searching for a listen to take you from place to place, mood to mood, and, if I may, scene to scene, this is the EP for you.

The best way to describe what listening to Scenes feels like is to compare it to participating in an all-encompassing 4D movie. Or perhaps, like buckling into a mellow songwriting rollercoaster with a narrator at your side describing moments along the ride. Each turn produces a slightly different atmosphere, reminiscent of various iconic genres of the past several decades. It is remarkable how much it accomplishes in its mere 20-minute run time—to produce a package so complete in only six songs is no small feat. It engages every corner of the imagination and draws upon such a broad range of experiences that every listener is bound to relate to it to some degree. Scenes welcomes us into Scott’s world so intimately that we see what he sees, feel what he feels, and travel alongside him wherever he goes.

In this project, Lippitt takes a reflective step away from the happenings of daily life in order to report on it as an external observer. Just take a look at some of the song titles: “Scene-by-Scene,” or “Moviehead,” for example. With titles and themes all more or less revolving around film, we’re invited to listen with not only our ears but with our mind’s eye. He too takes a seat in the audience and watches his life unfold in front of him, opening up new third-person perspectives and allowing himself, as well as the listener, to indulge in the cinema of everyday life. This storytelling tactic results in whimsically contemplative tracks such as “Wider Lens” and my personal favorite, “An Extra Like You.”

This song in particular, with its blue-toned lyrics, 90s-reminiscent percussion, and mellow doubled vocals, perfectly curates the feelings of  “otherness” we all experience at one point or another. Accompanied by intimate acoustic layers, the listener takes a rhythmic walk with Scott through the environments in which many of us feel the most alone. The otherwise melancholy track is so perfectly balanced by, in my opinion, the cherry on top—the bright guitar solo that feels so right; so familiar. It mimics some of the song’s themes and creates a sense that we’ve been here before. The solo is so tastefully simple, and through it, Scott does an excellent job of elevating the already vivid picture the song presents us with.

Scott’s thorough contribution to the Utah music scene should not be unfamiliar to anyone keeping tabs on local creators. The making of his most recent release, the massive collaborative album Me, You, and the Avenues featuring 12 other beloved Utah musicians, was recently featured here at Provo Music Magazine. Impressive as that undertaking was, I wanted to give Scenes its own moment in the spotlight— a moment that all 20 minutes of it so rightfully deserves. Hopefully, by now, I’ve convinced you to partake in the majesty that is this stud of an EP. 

There is no shortage of Scott Lippitt content in the zeitgeist, and I look forward to more to come. Follow his Instagram to stay in the loop on upcoming shows and projects he’s working on. In the meantime, you can listen to my favorite track, “An Extra Like You” below!