Another week (I think?), another milestone, and this being the far less endearing version of groundhog day that we’re living in, it’s not a great one. That’s because we just topped 5M cases of coronavirus (“We’re number 1! We’re number 1!”), a feat we accomplished in a mere 17 days — it’s true, this is two days slower than it took us to go from 3M to 4M cases, but focusing on that distinction is a bit like celebrating drunkenly vomiting on only your right shoe instead of your pants, shirt, and dog like last time.
As a result I’ve notched another mark on the proverbial prison wall to commemorate another week indoors. (At this point it’s starting to look like a frenzied wolverine was trying to claw its way out there’s so many marks…) A good part of that time was spent delving into a couple bands I discovered last week during the virtual Lolla — Skegss and Briston Maroney.
The former are a trio from Australia specializing in fast, bright surf/skate punk, which kept the energy high this week while working. One of the many perks of Lolla back in the day was getting exposed to acts from the UK and Australia that you’d never heard of (but quickly fell for), showing off the best and brightest for the first time in the US — sort of a debutante ball for bands. Over the years there have been a bunch of finds from the land down under — Vance Joy, Courtney Barnett, Atlas Genius, Knife Party, San Cisco, etc — and I’d add these guys to the list now, too.
Their performance wasn’t especially noteworthy — mainly frontman Ben Reed engulfing the mike with his mop of golden hair while thrashing at his guitar — but the band’s hooks and carefree attitude came through loud and clear and grabbed you by the ears. Sounding a little like a less flippant FIDLAR, the boys burned through their brief set and left you wanting more. That feeling persists when listening to their myriad EPs or their full length debut, My Own Mess. Filled almost top to bottom with winning tunes, that album got a solid workout this week — from the title track to songs like “Up in the Clouds,” “Smogged Out,” “Paradise,” and “Margarita” (which should officially be required to play whenever drinking the titular tipple) it’s a fun, catchy listen throughout its fifteen tracks. Start with the one that hooked me in their set, though, their latest single, “Under the Thunder:”
As for Maroney, his set was a little more incendiary, starting quietly with him following a red string through a hallway, down some stairs, and into an empty venue where his band was already waiting before quickly escalating into some guitar-led pyrotechnics. The lanky, long-haired Maroney is based out of Nashville and has released a series of EPs the past three years, each steadily more impressive than the last. Sounding like a mix of Arkansas’ Welles, Pennsylvania’s The Districts, and fellow Tennessean Bones Owens, Maroney pairs his high-pitched voice with some solid guitar licks that span the blues and indie rock realms effortlessly.
His hit to miss ratio on those EPs is high — songs like “Virginia” and “Hangin Round” from 2017’s Big Shot, “Hard to Tell” and “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate” from 2018’s Carnival, and “Small Talk” and “Caroline” from 2019’s Indiana all shine, juxtaposing a frailty in his voice with some forceful guitar to winning effect. He flexes the latter more live, as during this version of “Interstate” (which is pretty comparable to his Lolla performance and a great song). Will definitely be keeping my eyes out for him if/when we’re ever able to leave our houses and have concerts again — in the meantime check out that clip and the aforementioned “Small Talk,” both killer tunes:
We’ll close with one more discovery, the ridiculously (yet somewhat endearingly) named Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Hailing from the tiny town of Boone, North Carolina, these guys sport a winning mix of Local Natives’ laid back vibe, Voxhaul Broadcast’s energetic indie, and Lewis del Mar’s hip hop-inspired grooves. Frontman Sam Melo sounds just like the latter act’s Danny Miller in both tone and tempo, with his high-pitched voice alternating between soulful croon and sing/speak rapping. As with that band, though, it works well here, with the band casually spanning multiple genres on their albums.
Their most recent two were getting the heaviest workout this week, 2015’s RKS and 2018’s How To: Friend, Love, Freefall, the latter being a slightly more eclectic mix (as hinted at by the somewhat odd title). From tracks like that album’s “It’s Called: Freefall” and “Painkillers” to “Run,” “Cocaine Jesus,” and “The Comedown” from the former, they’re both really good listens. Aside from the aforementioned bands there’s a little bit of the Shakes’ Brittany Howard and tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus in the bands’ soulful and strange moments, respectively, as well as late era Kings of Leon in some of their guitars. This mishmash of influences and styles could fail miserably, but the band holds it together nicely — would like to see these guys on the festival circuit, holding court in the open air. Enjoy this one while we wait, “Goodnight Chicago” from their second album:
That’s all for now — until next time, amici… –BS