Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
The Easy Reasons
“Williamsburg”
2016
The Easy Reason’s latest is a slow-burn cousin to their first. “Williamsburg” has the same live-on-the-edge sense of abandon as “Piece,” their debut single from a couple of years ago. Both songs rip when they want to, but experience finds the group a little darker, a little dirtier, a little more content to take their time. They’re deep in it on this one. Drivin’ to fast with your brakes cut loose. I’ll keep The Easy Reasons.
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Dirty Bangs
“Your Sister’s Friend”
2016
Dirty Bangs were one of the coolest and most engaging bands of 2015. Their new single has me convinced they don’t plan on relinquishing those distinctions anytime soon. “Your Sister’s Friend” smolders with melodic hooks that will have you humming along on the first listen. There’s no big chorus here, just a string of slinky verses strung together with some woo-woos. It works. Just listen to the “take-take-take-take-take-take” part and tell me that’s not gold. You can’t, because it is.
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Drab
“Well, I Wanna Die”
2016
The wonderfully, but inaccurately, named Drab have released a teaser single from their forthcoming EP. “Well, I Wanna Die” is stripped of the fuzz and buzz I’ve come to associated with the band. What’s left is a beautiful bummer of a tune. Drab comes rattling in the night like the Ghost of Relationships Past. It’s a journey through the things you thought were buried for good, inspired by the late-’90s indie rock that was probably playing as you dug the grave. It’s gonna feel worse before it feels better. In the end, it’s for the best.
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Eternals
“Raised By Wolves”
2016
I’m in love with what Eternals are doing right now. The band is delivering well written pop songs executed with meticulous attention to detail and a lush palette of tailored tones. Actually, when I describe it that way it sounds like something I wouldn’t like. I usually gravitate toward songs and production that are more visceral, but Eternals have a way of polishing up these numbers without losing heart or groove that is just so appealing. These guys are so locked in and in tune with each other that their music still connects on a gut level. That’s good enough for me.
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The Wrong Shapes
“Eating Better, Working Less”
2015
The Wrong Shapes got spaced-out and trippy on their December single of the month. “Eating Better, Working Less” starts with loops that sound stuck in time between The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots before the duo’s distinctive cello and vocals drift in. The Wrong Shapes float in and out of consciousness for 4:30 while their voices intermingle and a guitar picks out a repeating phrase. It’s a sound that exists in a plane below (above?) the buzz and static of everyday life.
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Abbie Barrett And The Last Date
“That Shame”
2015
The latest single from Abbie Barrett And The Last Date is a dark and driving dynamo. “That Shame” is a layered with wailing guitars, haunting backing vocals and a locked-in rhythm section. All of this is in support of Abbie’s soulful, scathing, perfectly delivered lead vocal. Damn. This is fantastic.
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