The high-energy pop-rock of this young local quartet’s debut EP is
spiked with the jittery melodicism of new wave, thanks in large part to
the sci-fi keyboards dancing around the edges of the arrangements.
The enthusiasm of youth brings an infectious drive and aggression to
what might otherwise be considered undistinguished power pop—but
the band has polished its sound just enough to be competitive. Of some
concern is the five-song CD’s opening track: “Ronald Raygun” might seem
a little dated. I’m not sure why vocalist-guitarist Zach sings, “Ronald
Raygun, how could you let this all go down?” Is he maybe assigning the
responsibility for our current state of affairs to a dead president, or
is there something metaphorical going on here?
The rambunctious “Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy” benefits from
shouted backing vocals, Sarah’s vertigo-inducing keyboard effects and
some funky action by bassist Ian. “Marahute” has a bouncy, slightly
reggae feel, framed by the wheedling of Sarah’s horn-like keyboard.
Dunno know if this is an oversight, or an attempt at humility, but
nowhere in the CD package is there evidence of the individual names of
the performers—they are listed simply as Zach, Sarah, Ian and
Bobby on the band’s MySpace page—and songwriting seems to have
been credited to the group. Hey, R5: Take credit where it’s
deserved.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2009.
