It’s hard to get me excited about anything that brands itself as lo-fi these days. A creative renaissance for the sound surged in the late 2000s-early 2010s during the brief but influential chillwave movement. 3 years ago, back in 2017, lo-fi music had a quieter, though tightly concentrated resurgence with bands like Fazerdaze, Hoops, and Hazel English becoming some of the more prominent voices. 

For the latter, its been a relatively quiet 3 years since the release of her double EP, Just Give In/Never Going Home. Where her debut EPs were built behind a sonic wall of cloudy dream pop, on her full-length debut, Wake UP! those same clouds have dissipated to reveal a purposeful, sunny throwback to the more feel-good psychedelic pop of the mid-to-late 60s. However, I want to be careful not to so neatly box that up. English is able to use that vintage toolbox to construct something modern and uniquely hers and hers alone with lyrics that bounce between romance, anxiety, and its inverse, serenity.

I’m happy that none of what made English’s initial offerings so remarkable is lost here, only enhanced and more boldly annunciated. Her vocals are still echoey and neatly layered, but the lo-fi static has been eschewed. Unburdened, those vocals are primed for a more leading role, with “Shaking” and “Off My Mind” immediately capturing center stage.

“Shaking” was the inaugural single, coming out months before any details about the album were announced. As the second track on Wake UP!, it sets up a novel consistency in the album’s more psychedelic production. Featuring both Justin Raisen and Ben H. Allen in those production credits, both aiding immeasurably in collaborating with English to preserve her voice while building a bigger stage for her to move around.

“Get down on your hands and knees, baby beg for me” sings English on “Shaking.” Those lyrics are a starker, unexpected contrast to her prior output that relied far less on the comprehension of already fuzzy vocals. There is a  refreshing confidence and welcome weirdness to English’s identity here as a cult-like figure.

And while “Shaking” is far and away from the most radical departure in terms of her sound, “Off My Mind” is the first track I came to that felt familiar, yet consistent with the psychedelic overtones already established. With a more expansive sound, melodic jangle, and sparkling percussion, it has all the hooks English is known for with enough shine to make it one of her best tracks to date.

The back half of Wake UP! struggles more to keep up with a stellar opening, but that’s to be expected with almost any album. Nothing sags here or comes to an outright dull finish. Wake UP! is a solid debut for an artist you can’t help but feel is just starting to come into her own.

Connect with Hazel English

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Still roaring after releasing their self-titled debut back in 2018, the Seattle-based band Thunderpussy returned to Philadelphia this past Saturday at Milkboy Philly in what was one of their final shows on the last leg of an extensive summer of touring. Joining the four-piece were openers Hollis Brown who have accompanied them since late July, and the perhaps equally boldly named, Full Bush hailing from right here in Philadelphia. 

Opening the night, Full Bush kicked things off with lead vocalist Kate Breish applying the pressure to a noisy crowd with vocals that expertly fluctuate in intensity. Not to be drowned out Adesola (drums), Cassie (bass), and Jayne (lead guitar) each brought a unique flavor of post-punk to the mix. 

After a pause that included the person in front of me being escorted out by security, Hollis Brown, successfully erased the inherent awkwardness that had hushed the front of the stage with a short but sweet set. With a mixture of rock and Americana, the indie favorites displayed a seasoned sense of ease with guitarist Jonathan Bonilla notably providing several brief yet memorable solos to not insignificant number of the audience who had come just for them.

Following yet another uncomfortable incident toward the front of the stage that made me internally question what the hell had gotten into the crowd that evening, Thunderpussy started their set with guitarist Whitney Petty entering the stage solo. Drawing her bow across the strings of the guitar to produce a mythical build-up to a promisingly electric performance, the entrance of vocalist Molly Sides and company immediately turned up the hype.

With selections from their self-titled, their yet-to-be-released EP fittingly titled Milk It, and a notably faithful cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” expectations were met and exceeded. Filling up the stage with occasional high-flying antics, thunderous vocals, and guitar licks that immediately conjure up any number of classic rock stalwarts, Thunderpussy are a band that should sincerely be experienced live. 

Sides enthusiastically did her part in spreading an optimistic message of hope and love, of breaking down borders and not creating them, that is so central to the foundation of the band. That message culminated in an exercise of trust and friendship which oddly enough ended in an awkward handshake with Breish from Full Bush following a prompt from Sides to the crowd. 

It was a weird, very sporadically uncomfortable, but by-and-large wonderful evening at the classic upstairs venue. As a final PSA when attending a live event; respect a person’s personal space, maybe drink in moderation, and just be in the moment.

by Ziggy Merritt

Whatever you might have to say, naming your band Drugdealer is simple if an ingenious way to command attention, but it also requires some follow-through on behalf of the artist to know that the cheekiness of the effort is not just paper thin.

Previously releasing music under, the on-the-nose if slightly problematic, monikers of Salvia Plath and Run DMT, LA artist Michael Collins’ second album as Drugdealer, Raw Honey, is a focused effort to reawaken the soul of classic rock in 2019…whatever that might entail.

With a bevy of guest contributors and the touch of yacht rock’s 21st-century boy, Mac DeMarco at the helm of the production, Collins latest is largely a success in the revival of late 60s-early 70s psych rock that doesn’t fall into the pit of pastiche.

The partial namesake “Honey” is half of the album’s heart and an early introduction into what brands this album as a success. Here, Natalie Merring of Weyes Blood (a friend and frequent contributor on Collins’ work), provides guest vocals that deepen the immersion into the folksy charms Raw Honey is all too happy to spoon-feed to you.

Like anything else on the record, the vibe falls somewhere between a solo Beatles effort (think Lennon over Harrison) and something that Buffalo Springfield or Crosby, Stills, and Nash might compose on a bright sunny afternoon. Merring lends “Honey” a certain amount of authenticity with a smooth, crooning delivery that floats on top of the tripped-out twang of early-70s psych rock strumming.

The other half of the heart is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the second lead single from the album, “Fools.” Collins doesn’t drop in the touch of any other voice here. Everything on “Fools” fits together in a neat, thoughtful pattern. From the opening salvo of groovy saxophone, the underline of the bass, and Collins’ own turn at lead vocals, there’s real magic afloat. It’s the most evidently yacht rock-like composition, and the one most likely to get stuck in your head for days on end. Exactly what you want in a pop single.

As much as it is an enjoyable throwback, there are times Raw Honey lacks a solid inspired throughline. “Lonely” at its worst is repetitive (“Hey there lonely, you don’t have to be so lonely” repeated ad nauseum with little meaningful variation). At its best, it’s a perfectly okay inclusion where Collins’ debuts an odd tenor to his voice that curiously sounds very much like he took a few vocal lessons from Ringo Starr.

“If You Don’t Know Now, You Never Will” suffers from similar criticism with an equally curious tendency to take cues from the quieter half of the seminal Beatles anthem “Hey Jude.” Still, Collins’ is fully able any of these labeled critiques to push forward on his vision.

Raw Honey is out now via Mexican Summer. Drugdealer will be embarking on a late Spring/early Summer tour in support of the album starting in May, making their eventual stop in Philadelphia at Johnny Brenda’s on July 17th. Get tickets here.

Back in 2014, the Hamburg-based and self-described “dream punk” outfit, Seasurfer, arrived on their local scene with their debut LP, Dive In. Formed by Dirk Knight of Dark Orange fame, the roots of the group’s experience and sound are planted deep into the earth of the early 90s when things like dream pop and shoegaze were still in full swing before their dormancy throughout the rest of the decade and resurgence in the mid to late 2000s.

This is a long and roundabout way of previewing the sound and style of their latest EP, Vampires, a back-to-basics approach that doesn’t tire out by assaulting the senses in a wave of glossolalia and reverb but gives something of a retrospective of what makes those genres, dream pop, and shoegaze, addictive.

Each track is a little bit different in its approach to the all-too-broad genre of dream pop. A dollop of darkwave here and a pinch of hypnagogic pop there give dimension to Vampires. It doesn’t escape comparison to some of the stalwart titans of the late 80s and early 90s, namely broad strokes of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive, but it manages to sound fresh, more unique in the push to perhaps not even break new ground but do something interesting with a well-worn palette.

You have your Cocteau Twins callback in “Bring Me His Head.” Here vocalist, Apolonia, has a way of curling her vocals around the intense atmosphere that recall the more lucid meanderings of Elizabeth Fraser. “Into Dust” and “Sad Song” both bring to mind some of the lighter offerings from modern darkwave projects such as Drab Majesty and Them Are Us Too as well as the more classic and mirthful sound of Lush.

This latest EP may not have the grip and bite as some of Seasurfer’s more full-length offerings, but whatever Vampires lack in its staying power it makes up for in excess with personality and production that doesn’t overwhelm or bore.

Buy Vampires on Bandcamp

Photo by Ziggy Merritt

Quiet Slang has come to an end — for now at least. James Alex, the voice and unflappable persona behind Beach Slang, indicated as much Saturday night as he came to the stage, cumberbund and all. With work on the latest Beach Slang album set to begin nearly the moment he left the stage that night, the chorus of strings that replaced the brash feedback on his proper Beach Slang releases is set to retire.

First, it would be fair to take some time to describe the set dressing. Decked with fae floral displays, it felt very much like the antithesis of the grimy, yet pop-forward songs that Alex has been writing for years now. Then again, those same songs have always been culled from a vulnerable and emotional space so to say it’s the antithesis is perhaps a bit too on the nose.

Photo by Ziggy Merritt

Coming out on stage with a mismatched tuxedo and a plastic cup of what appeared to be sangria or some other sort of boozy delight, there was every indication that this would be a historic welcome home for the Philly native, as well as the tour manager, backup vocalist, and keyboardist Charlie Lowe, who was the sole accompaniment onstage. What came after his entrance was a nearly hour and a half long set that, in fully candid honesty, I was not able to stay through until the finish without being an irresponsible pet owner.

Covers made up the entirety of the performance. Quiet Slang alchemized tracks like “Dirty Cigarettes” and “Spin the Dial” into blissful chamber pop, while the seemingly endless yet enthralling encore saw Alex picking up the guitar for the first time that night to belt out not just several Replacements cover but anything from The Smiths to the Cure.

Photo by Ziggy Merritt

The crowd ate up everything that James gave them that night. Between gentle back-and-forth heckling, Alex fed off the energy, spitting booze into the air and gulping down plastic cups of the stuff hands-free. It had all the spirit of any single Beach Slang set, perhaps more so with the renewed sense of vigor that Alex seemed to carry with him throughout the entirely improvised and crowd-driven encore set.

photo credit: Charlie Lowe

by Ziggy Merritt

I have single-handedly altered the course of history. That’s what my insecure ego wants me to write and something I’ll return to later in this feature. Here’s a long-winded explanation: In my time with THAT MAG I’ve been able to interview some of my hometown heroes in the indie music scene.

Recently I had the chance to talk once again with James Alex, otherwise known as the public face and persona behind indie punk outfit Beach Slang and its acoustic offshoot, Quiet Slang before their tour stop at Underground Arts on July 14. We had previously chatted way back in 2015, not long before the release of his debut LP, The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us.

Three years, two albums, and a smattering of EPs later, Alex continues to make music that resonates with embittered teenagers, social outcasts, and consummate loners. He doles out extra helpings of angst with music that deserves nothing less than to be played loud and fast. But even with a now international audience attuned to his brand of distorted noise pop, Alex continues to make music with his friends in mind. “Music for us,” he writes.

On Alex’s latest tour, the loud and fast adjectives have been ejected. With his side project, Quiet Slang, the thrash and hazy feedback and distortion are sliced away. The emotional heft is channeled instead through the lens of stripped-down chamber pop, inspired by one part Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields fame and one part NPR.

“Stephin Merritt offered the spark and Tiny Desk offered the allowance,” wrote Alex on the inspiration behind the Quiet Slang project. In 2015, he made a solo, acoustic appearance on NPR’s popular Tiny Desk Concert series. Watching that same performance now, you have a grounded sense of what can be expected from his first proper Quiet Slang album, Everything Matters But No One is Listening.

“Inspiration and permission are fear-wreckers,” Alex continued. “After I had them, I lunged forward. I mean, I wasn’t nearly sure I could pull it off, but that wasn’t a concern. I’m a big chaser of unfamiliar things. It’s important to dream bigger, you know?”

He added, “Being allowed to fail is a gift. And I have that in spades. Look, none of this is particularly overthought. I just want to make records that feel honest to what I want to make, regardless of whether they‘re sensible or unpredictable or even accepted. I’m just not built with fake-it wiring. It has to rattle me. It has to scratch at me. When that feeling comes, I make songs and offer them to my friends. Whatever happens after that is whatever happens.”

Whether you attach punk or chamber beforehand, those same offerings bleed the blood of pop through and through. For Alex, this is intentional and perhaps the only rational way to make a record.

“The only thing I know how to write are pop songs,” Alex wrote, responding to how he has come to define pop and more specifically the self-described “chamber pop for outsiders” descriptor he labeled his Quiet Slang debut.

“They’re buried in distortion and knee-jerking, but they’re unapologetically pop. As a kid, I was clubbed with way too many Beatles and Beach Boys records for it not to stick. So, that part of the description is the easy part. The chamber part, that’s the lavish bits. This is trickier,” He explains, then continues, “For me, rock & roll is guitars, drums, and swagger — plug in, turn up and go, no rules and devil-may-care. Searing the more well-dressed instruments into the thing takes real nerve. It takes cellos with guts, pianos with brass knuckles. It’s like lining the gutter with flowers. And I dig that. The ‘for outsiders’ bit is for me and all my friends who’ve only ever felt worthless and forgotten. We aren’t. We never were. And these songs are for us.”

Following this, I wanted to take it back to the song (“Filthy Luck”) that originally made me more fan than a purely objective reviewer. Adapted from the brash and breathtaking original, it still packs the same dynamic punch now with the accompaniment of lush strings acting as the Greek chorus for Alex’s unfiltered delivery.

“It was the first song I wrote for Beach Slang so I knew I wanted to have it on the quiet record,” wrote Alex. “Reworking it started as a joke. For no interesting reason, maybe self-entertaining, I sat at the piano and banged those first three chords in this exaggerated Beethoven kind of way. I stopped right after and was like, ‘F*#k, that actually sounds pretty alright.’ Accidental composing or something, you know?” He explained. “After that, I knew a rewrite could work. I plucked out the keeper guitar parts I’d written for the loud versions, cut them on piano and cello, and then built the fuller arrangements on top of those with Keith (piano) and Dan (cello). I read this thing about the recording of ‘Astral Weeks’ and wanted to chase that idea — maybe not as purely improvisational as those sessions, but at least a half-thought-out and half-in-the-moment approach. And that helped crack the whole idea of this open.”

As with the seminal Van Morrison album that Alex references here, his LP-length debut as Quiet Slang required more thought and feeling for what may be reductive to boil down to a covers album. After all, with No One is Listening, Alex is covering himself not someone else. There’s so much more at stake to get right not even accounting for keeping the integrity of the original tracks alive and well. With much of his attention focused on the all-too-ambiguous goal of “getting it right” this made me naturally curious for what the future held for both Quiet Slang and Beach Slang.

“I hope to have the chance to make more Quiet Slang recordings. Like, really hope,” wrote Alex when questioned about the future of both projects. “I‘ve been so messed up on, ‘Will anyone even care about this?’ that I haven’t really looked too far forward,” He admits.

“But then this tour happens and starts to show me that maybe some people care a whole lot. It’s humbling and melting. I mean, this whole process pushed me along as a writer, forced me to think in really left-field ways. I needed that. And, yes, the idea is to definitely include original, non-Beach Slang songs. Rewrites were the right first step, but I think I’m ready to test my luck a bit more. Right now, the plan is to get home from the Quiet Slang tour and pretty much go right into pre-production for the new Beach Slang record. I have it all home-demoed and am chomping to start making it. Once I sack that thing properly, I’m guessing I’ll be itching for cellos again.”

Alex appears to remain optimistic that the future of his loud and quiet sides will continue to be productive. It’s encouraging news for those wondering when, or if, Alex would resume work on new Beach Slang material. It’s also a boon for people, such as myself, that appreciate the output from both projects.

Very near the start of this feature I mentioned a little something about how I changed the course of human history. Now, while I’m not vain enough to believe that I actually changed the course of history for a well-known indie band, I at least like to entertain the fantasy. It began by asking whether or not two halves, Beach Slang and Quiet Slang, would ever merge into a single, unified project.

“It’s interesting you mention this,” wrote Alex. “Charlie and I were talking about this same idea the other night in Minneapolis — a split 7″ of Slangs. I think there’s something to it. Even more so now that someone outside of my head thought to think it.”

When I first read this, I had this purely smug, self-satisfied reaction that perhaps I had acted as a catalyst for some future creative endeavor. That remains to be determined.

Returning the focus to James, I was curious enough to follow up on the threads of our previous interview some three years ago. Back then we discussed some of his graphic design work for the cover art on his albums and his interest in vintage photography, some shared via Beach Slang’s own Tumblr page. Had his own design aesthetic continued to, in some way, influence the direction of the band?

“In this tiny, weirdo bubble called Beach Slang, music and design are all-the-way stuck with each other,” Alex wrote in reply. “They were born into that way and are both stronger because of the other’s influence. It’s difficult, I suppose, to clearly define how the relationship works, but maybe it’s as simple as when you see something that rattles you, that makes your heart notice, you feel compelled to make something in return, like writing a love letter and really meaning it. Influence and inspiration don’t deserve to go unrequited.”

Like the interlinked nature of music and design, Alex has never strayed far from his roots here in Philadelphia. The War on Drugs, Japanese Breakfast, and even his own band have all garnered more than a fair share of exposure along with a bevy of others in just three short years. Those three years have been tumultuous, chaotic, even downright fucking frightening, but our own burgeoning and evolving music scene have scarcely wavered in its fervor and intensity. James has a way of putting that all into perspective.

“I think the thing I dig the most is the blue-collar-ness of it,” wrote Alex. “It’s a wrecking ground. It isn’t pretty or perfect and doesn’t want to be. It has dirt under its nails and bruises on its cheeks. It means it — every bit of it. And that’s all rock & roll has ever asked of us. If it’s changed, I haven’t noticed. But I look down a whole lot.”

Watch the latest music video for Beach Slang‘s “Dirty Cigarettes” below and follow the links to find more out about Beach Slang / Quiet Slang.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Bandcamp

The project of ex-Literature members Nate Cardaci and Seth Whaland who are joined here by Doran Rawlinson and Steven Garcia, Très Oui always had a lot going for it from its inception just a few years ago. Debuting with a well-received EP almost exactly a year ago, their first full-length, Poised to Flourish, keep up the hype while giving room for new ideas and inspiration to flourish. With Très Oui the punk-infused C86 sound that Cardaci and Whaland had incubated in Literature is injected with more infectious pop and synth stylings, the latter largely absent from their previous outfit.

That said, it’s not a terribly far cry from the previous work Cardaci and Whaland were innately familiar with in Literature. The pacing is not as intense, but this does not necessarily affect the quality of anything contained within. Instead, there’s something missing in the translation that the few bits of playful synth and familiar jangle don’t really get a chance to find. The fault comes down to the composition of the tracks themselves, few of which here are immediately memorable upon the delivery of that final note. “One Track” may have had the opportunity to dispel that notion with its dreamy layering of horns and floating vocals in the latter half, but a burdensome length stretches out a great composition into something that’s just okay.

I won’t go as far to deny that the album itself is any fun. There’s not a track here that fails to deliver a dollop of ear candy. Rabid enthusiasm pulses throughout the length of Poised to Flourish and that’s hard to deny. Think of this as the album that bridges the gap between a noisier past and a more serene and subdued present.

“Alex To The Right” is one of the few occasions where the minimal flourishes of synth feel well-attuned to the easygoing tempo with a warbling solo from that same player giving things a bit more depth. “Séance” backs this up, acting as the album’s centerpiece. A more aggressive power pop blend of guitars and drums give legs to Cardaci’s vocals, all of which capture the earnest found in the chorus. For a young band with 4 seasoned musicians at the helm, Poised to Flourish is a solid debut that pays homage to their legacy while pushing forward in a few exciting directions.

Rating: Listenable

Get the album here!

For close to a decade the Vancouver-based outfit, the Belle Game has been in the business of change. 4 years separate their debut LP, 2013’s Ritual Tradition Habit, and their full-length follow-up, Fear/Nothing. Both albums strive toward the ultimate goal of pop perfection blending emotional honesty with potent hooks. With their latest, they inch closer to that goal even if that is not necessarily the overriding intention. Heading to Ortlieb’s on January 26th, I was able to receive a few candid responses from Belle Game’s lead vocalist, Andrea Lo on this latest album and the tour in its support since release in September of last year.

“Changes that were instigated by the creation of Fear/Nothing are still churning,” wrote Lo via email in reference to touring throughout the years and the album itself. “Emotional responsibility on a scale that goes beyond ourselves has definitely become more of a priority over the past year. From the day we began to write ‘Spirit’ to present day, the process continues to ask a lot of us (as it should), especially in challenging the honesty we have with ourselves and we’re finding that we are constantly stripping away at who we are beyond the behaviours and patterns we’ve accumulated in life, and how that aligns with how we show up in the world.”

The process of creating and then supporting an album constantly challenges Lo and the other members (Alex Andrew, Katrina Jones, and Adam Nanji) to pursue honesty in themselves, and in that pursuit they have seemingly found a refreshing desire to look beyond themselves as musicians in order to make a deeper connection with their listeners.

“Every day we write or get on stage we’re challenged with facing ourselves and holding space for others in a way that is transparent, honest, and unashamed,” she continues. “And that’s where we make sure we are going at all times because it’s deeply important for us to convey the same message to our audience.”

This unashamed honesty and transparency bleed into how they have come to define their sound. “Musical Catharsis,” wrote Lo simply. “A sound that defines the experience of allowing oneself to unravel to a point of extreme vulnerability and freedom.” This sheds the skin of dream pop and electropop labels that have been thrown around to pin them to one distinct subgenre of pop. These labels lack the insight into the process of conceiving and delivering an album to the public. Musical Catharsis instead implies an overwhelming sense of relief by pushing themselves through the pressures of change and exploration.

Naturally, there’s a throughline of emotional truth that continues into how some of the tracks came together with my attention tuned into the mid-album treat simply titled “Yuh.”

“This track was liberating to write,” wrote Lo. “It was one of our first steps in creating from a feeling as opposed to logic, and we loved experimenting with allowing for more space in a song. The song was a joint effort of everyone willing to be adventurous with the sounds they were creating and the desire to keep that sparseness that really birthed it. As musicians, there can be an unspoken pressure to feel as if you need to be playing all the time, so this was a great way of breaking out of the box.”

There have also been timely surprises that add a brief coda onto the time spent bringing this album to fruition. One such surprise is “Only One” which came out of the same sessions. “‘Only One’ was on the track listing during some discussions of how the album would play out,” explained Lo. “However, end of the day, we felt that the vibe was inconsistent. We knew that we wanted to release it eventually so it wasn’t an issue to not have it on the album.”

As it turns out this may be the first of a few surprises in store. “We’re hoping to release some b-sides throughout the year,” Lo revealed. “But live shows also present an opportunity where we can play extra material that’s not always recorded. We enjoy creating, so whenever we feel we hit upon something that inspires us in rehearsal we do our best to incorporate it into the set.”

On Friday, January 26th there’s a chance to hear some of these unrecorded treats for yourself when they head to Ortlieb’s with an opening set from Philadelphia’s own Cheeky. “We won’t have any time to explore the city,” writes Lo. “But we are really looking forward to playing the show, and connecting with the audience in ways that are cathartic, honest, and healing.”

Belle Game’s website and tour dates.

Belle Game-Spirit

(Photos by Lauren Ray)

On January 25th, ThatMag starts off the year with our annual music series. Previewing their upcoming show at the Tusk, I had a chance to hear from brother and sister Julio and Melissa Ossa and Max Barruzza of headliners Yeah Son! who join Added Color and Harlowe Jones for a night of some of the best talent the city has to offer.

“We started off as just us—brother, sister and our friend on guitar,” wrote Melissa on Yeah Son!’s founding. “My brother had the idea to start a band together but wasn’t sure how to go about it at first.”

“I posted an ad on Craigslist, which is how we met our bassist Max and first drummer Rob,” wrote Julio in response. “The chemistry, not only on a musical level but a personal level, was obvious right away. We began as a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band, and within the next 2 months, we began writing our own music and got our original project off the ground.”

That original project has evolved into a blend of rock, funk, reggae, and hip-hop, which has propelled the band for nearly a decade. Naturally, risk accompanies any attempt to blend so many influences together in one pot. So far those risks seem to be paying off.

“I think tackling a few different genres may sometimes alienate certain crowds but it always depends on the show (or who’s listening to our records),” writes Julio describing how their sound has evolved over the years. “You can never satisfy everyone but, overall, we’ve gotten a generally good reception about the way we fuse different styles and add our own touch. You never know what new risks we might take or new styles we may experiment with down the line. I think it’s important for any artist to always try new areas outside their comfort zone and there is still room for Yeah Son! to do that as well.

“After a few years and a few changes in our lineup, we have started to hone in on the right sound for us,” continues Max. “Sometimes changing a few band members helps bring an outside perspective.”  

One of those lineup changes comes in the form of Matt Janicki, the band’s new guitarist. “I’m proud to say we’ve recently been lucky enough to recruit one of the most talented guitarists we’ve ever worked with,” writes Julio. “Matt joined Yeah Son! about 6 months ago and we’re excited to already be back in the studio cutting two new tracks with him. He comes from a more metal background and yet still has adapted to our style really well. I feel ever since he added his touch, we’ve really stepped up a few notches and evolved even further as a band.”

Lineup changes considered, there’s much to be said about their knack or blending together all of these influences into something both cohesive and propulsive. Much of that comes down to practice and as with, Janicki’s background, relying on the strengths and influences that individual members are able to bring to the continually evolving sound.

“That comes from knowing our influences and the pioneers of funk/reggae-rock and alternative-rock so well,” continues Julio. “Most of us grew up on that music, as well as classic rock and even metal. So it’s just a matter of learning the hybrid genres and playing it so often that usually, no matter the combination, it usually comes naturally to us.”

“Sometimes we just play whatever feels good,” adds Max. “It doesn’t always have to fit a specific genre. Whatever moves your soul and feels fresh.”

2017 ended up being a year of change and new surprises in the direction of Yeah Son! Perhaps the most prominent of these surprises came in the release of a new EP, Talk in Technicolor. With a polished production and an assured confidence in what works and what doesn’t, this latest release is packed with promise. Of the five tracks available, “Have You Ever Noticed?” ends up being one of the standouts. “The lyrics are all about looking at the bigger picture and to open your mind, that there is a lot of beauty in this world and it is so alive,” writes Julio on the track’s direction. Adding context to the title and perhaps what inspired the overall direction of the album itself is the sample audio clip used in the beginning of this track.

“The audio clip was taken from an old interview with a young housewife from the 1950’s while she was on LSD,” explained Julio. “She was being interviewed by a doctor who was studying the drug’s effects on her and had her describe what she was seeing and experiencing. You can also hear some bits of it in ‘Around The Fire’, which inspired the album title Talk In Technicolor. I thought the way she verbalized her experience was fascinating and used some clips in our music.”

Shortly they’ll have a chance to showcase how their sound translates to a live space at The Tusk. “When it comes to live shows, I’ve found that one of my biggest challenges is being able to sing on point while performing with lots of energy, such as dancing or jumping,” writes Melissa on the subject. “You gotta be able to catch your breath and time it right to make it work. In the studio, you have time to think it through and go back and fix something you didn’t like. You can’t do that in the moment, so it’s a totally different dynamic.

“Our live shows don’t typically change too dramatically from the studio versions,” continues Julio. “We try to translate our recorded music as best we can live, though we do cut some corners when necessary. I may occasionally fill in some rhythm section on keyboards to compensate for any extra layers of guitar on certain songs. Also, the studio versions are full and lush when it comes to all the vocal tracks we do but, fortunately, most of our members can sing backup too. Max sings on almost every song and our drummer Ty will also jump in with backing vocals on certain songs.”

Further, in 2018 we can expect two new tracks “Wild Child” and “Unfortunate” both of which, Julio promises will release “soon.” “I’m hoping that later in the year we can record a few more tracks and we can release a new EP with Matt on guitar,” continues Melissa. “2018 is full of opportunities! Yeah son!”

Follow Yeah Son! through Facebook and their next show is Feb. 2nd at Bar XIII in Wilmington, DE.

The Cleaners from Venus – Living with Victoria Grey (1986)

1981 saw the release of the first proper Cleaners of Venus album from the multi-talented auteur, Martin Newell. Since then and even before, his career has continued unabated with success and failure factoring little into his determination to push out album after album of new material under his own name or one of the many projects he’s been a member of since the 70s. While perhaps more renowned in recent years as an accomplished poet in Essex, England, Newell’s output has continued well into the 21st century with his latest record released just last year.

Yet, without the assistance of Captured Tracks re-releasing much of his back-catalog in 2013, exposure to his more robust discography would have been limited. For a long time cassettes remained one, if not the only proper way to listen to a Cleaners album outside of a live performance.

Each of his albums as the sole constant member of this project has a devil-may-care ambiguity tied to the texture of their respective tracks. In keeping with this attitude, Newell carefully constructs a pop sound that has its roots in 60s psychedelics folded upon layers of more experimental instrumentation that at one time further stretched the limits of what pop was and what it could be. All of this is done by Newell with an intensely DIY ethos that rejected the standard of how music should be released.

If you had to place Newell in any particular category you could try and make a case that he belongs firmly in the realm of jangle pop, but it would be reductive to do so. Brushes with post-punk and new wave are frequent throughout his discography in the 80s and 90s. Yet with over 13 proper albums as The Cleaners from Venus alone, not everything is a guaranteed slam dunk with much of the Cleaners output from work from the mid to late 80s not receiving the same attention that had been given to his work earlier in the decade.

With Living With Victoria Grey that lack of attention may simply come down to the irreverent sampling bookending most of these compositions. Back to back, has the effect of undercutting the emotion pitched behind each track, making a proper listen jarring from transition to transition. As a whole, the album is much more purposefully madcap and doesn’t take itself too seriously when stacked against his earlier work.

Taking each track in piece by piece showcases the album as one of the most slavishly devoted to his influences from 60s pop standards. Tracks like “Stay On” and “What’s Going On (In Your Heart)” easily wring out this quality in droves. Others like “Mercury Girl” are more complexly detailed, recalling some of his more consistent efforts such as his standout Midnight Cleaners from 1982. Like the element itself, in this track Newell croons about a relationship that is ultimately toxic and amorphous. Destructive yet maudlin with the lyrics, the direction and distorted tone make this a bittersweet standout.

Perhaps nothing else sums up his tastes and predilections on Victoria Grey than a quote from a few years back when interviewed by Aug Stone of The Quietus in the tellingly titled “The Fall And Rise Of Martin Newell And The Cleaners From Venus.” “I’m very interested in anything that’s about 3 minutes long and slightly distorted with a good chorus,” Newell says. “That’s what I like. And I still am.”