When we were putting together the shows this summer at the carousel in Asbury Park, one of the things we wanted to do was to get some bands in there that we don't get a chance to see locally very often. Chris over at Little Dickman sent me a song from Brooklyn's BOYTOY -- "Blazed" from their self-titled EP -- and suggested we try to book them. "Blazed" is an almost shoegazy sounding bit of stoner pop, and I liked it immediately. BOYTOY came and did a great set for us, and I impatiently awaited the release of Grackle.
The trio of Saara Untracht-Oakner (guitar / vocals), Glenn Van Dyke (guitar), and Matt "Matty Beans" Gregory (drums) released Grackle on October 2nd; and, while it has less of that shoegazy element that first drew me to the band, it does contain quite a few sounds that fit squarely into the "stuff I like" category.
Opener "Postal" is a simultaneously aggressive and upbeat bit of garage pop on which Untracht-Oakner isn't dealing so well with a break-up. The combination of the jagged guitars and the upbeat lilt in Untracht-Oakner's voice had me thinking of Sunburn-era Blake Babies with, maybe, a touch less sweetness.
"Pulp" features heavy, distorted guitars and some vocal harmonizing that give it a retro-garage feel. "Your Girl" combines heavy rock and pop in a more meandering, less frantic way than, say, Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend," with big chords and some shredding playing call and response with the vocals. "Poison Breeder" is more straight-ahead guitar rock with the vocals a little lower in the mix beneath the wall of guitars. That's followed by the Summer of Love inspired "Wild One."
Things take on that familiar, snotty garage rock feel on "Building an Empire" and "Owe Somebody," with Gregory handling lead vocals and kind of Lou Reed talk-singing on both songs. Similarly, the group vocal aspect of album-closer "Can't Get It" (and is that a cowbell?) gives things an edge that works well with the winding guitar lines.
I'm glad I got to know BOYTOY. Are they re-inventing rock and roll on Grackle? No. But I don't think that's the point. They play to their strengths, creating short bursts of garage pop that combine grit and sweetness into something that can appeal to those who want to bop and sing along as well as those who want to get lost in the noise.
Grackle is out now on PaperCup Music.
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