Contrary to what HBO would have you believe, summer is coming. Every summer needs a soundtrack. You need music for runs on the boardwalk, days by the pool, backyard barbecues, evenings sipping tequila on the deck -- blanco, couple of ice cubes and a squeeze of lime. I auditioned Reptar for the boardwalk run slot late this afternoon.
The debut full-length from Athens band Reptar, Body Faucet, is the kind of record I think of when I think of summer music. The band takes their name from a Rugrats character, and that same sense of fun runs through much of the record. Lead singer Graham Ulicny's singing is high-pitched with an almost accent. The music is African beats and jangly, reverby guitars with a good deal of analog keyboards. Is this starting to sound familiar?
Listen to the excellent opener "Sebastian" and you'll know what I'm talking about. The first three songs on the album fall into the same young band playing African-influenced pop with intelligent lyrics vein. Then things change, and the keyboards become more prominent on "Office Origami" and "Houseboat Babies." Here, Ulicny's high register, the backing vocals, and the synths call to mind Passion Pit more than Vampire Weekend. "Office Origami," as a matter of fact, is a track that I could see launching this band to a wider audience. "Natural Bridge" brings the guitars back, and is another standout. The last third of the album, ending with "Water Runs," does an excellent job closing things out with a complexity that reveals that Reptar is about more than just mindie pastiche.
On Body Faucet, Reptar have fused some of the most popular sounds in mindie from the last five years to come up with something new that deserves a place in your summer rotation. I've got this strange feeling that this band is going to achieve a degree of popularity that will make it less cool to like them a few months from now, so get in on the ground floor.
Stream Body Faucet over at Reptar's website.
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