After 2023’s When Horses Would Run a new title not to be confused with the indie band of Mark Oliver Everett, this by the Austin, Texas band of Falcon Bitch & Shmoofy (fka Gumball), is a different sort of fresh sounding, catchy experimental quirkiness – a throwback 60s garage rock and produced with the mark of quality by John Congleton. With echoes of The Zombies to The Monks, and a dash of B-52s, it’s a throbbingly fun collection old-school surf guitar sounds, unadorned drums, bass and much slick interchanging of male and female vocals and lovely close harmonies and devilishly good fun. Although the band is an interchanging duo, bassist Nicole Roman-Johnston brings an extra dimension. The album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, which suit the otherworldliness of the music. Standouts include the catchy, sighing, hand-clapping opener Godzilla Rises (how they love that monster!), with some Beach Boys reminiscent harmonies; the psychedelic kick-start of Van Goes (“how do you like it now?”); the smooth, slightly spooky psych of Flowers; the fabulous loud buzz-guitar groove of Firefighters; the oddball jittery but fun stop-start of Nightvision; the thrumming mischief and groove of Big Bovine or Ballerina; the rich, full harmonic and meaty sound of Goodnight. In between there are many other short snippets and gems in an album packed with energy – an eccentric, eclectic, playful frenzy with some tender moments. Great fun. Out on Bayonet Records.
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