Fruit & Flowers Played Baby's All Right with Surf Rock Is Dead and Sic Tic, 6/29/17. Show Recap and EP Review.

Fruit & Flowers

Drug Tax

On Thursday night, I wormed my way into the Dickmans' car for another trip into Brooklyn. This time, we were heading to Baby's All Right to celebrate the release of Drug Tax, the Little Dickman debut for Fruit & Flowers.

I have to go back and check the stats, but it seems like either Fruit & Flowers or Sharkmuffin are the non-Jersey band I've seen the most live. Over the last year-and-a-half or so of live shows, I've become a huge Fruit & Flowers fan. The band combine surf, punk, and dream pop into a sort of retro / otherworldly vibe that can be, at times, either cool and precise or frantic and wild. Drug Tax collects songs that I've come to love in their live versions and gives them a full, studio treatment.

[...This will be the part where I talk about the EP.]

Things start surfy and poppy with "Out of Touch." There's a contrast between the darkness of the intertwining vocals of Caroline Yoder (bass), Lyzi Wakefield (guitar), and Ana Becker (guitar) and Becker's sprightly y leads. Then, it's right into the highly-moshable "Subway Surfer." The bass and Jose Berrío's drums chug methodically; and the harmonies are spot-on. But the song repeatedly builds tension before bursting into moments of abandon. Fruit & Flowers combine 80s post-punk and 60s psychedelia for "Dark Surf," which opens with a haunting guitar intro and features more hypnotic vocal harmonies.

The title track is one of my favorite songs -- maybe ever. It captures everything that's great about Fruit & Flowers -- the hints of surf and post-punk, the wall of beautiful sound created by all three vocalists, the incredibly tight rhythm section, Becker's guitar, the building tension, the "HEY!"s.

Fruit & Flowers are the complete package. They're unique yet accessible. They just released one of the best records of the year, and the EP even looks great with artwork by Jose Berrío. Fruit & Flowers also happen to be a great live act.

Fruit & Flowers' Jose Berrío

The show on Thursday at Baby's All Right bore that out.

[...This will be the part where I talk a little bit about the show.]

Sic Tic and Surf Rock Is Dead joined Fruit & Flowers. It was a great bill, and there was enthusiastic support for both bands. Surf Rock Is Dead absolutely blew me away and landed a spot on my regular, personal playlist.

Sic Tic

Surf Rock Is Dead

The night, though, belonged to Fruit & Flowers. The band sparkled -- literally. They all wore something shiny or sequined. During fast-paced songs like "Subway Surfer" or -- another Drug Tax track -- "Pick Fairy," the crowd thrashed and bounced along with the band. At one point, singer / bassist, Caroline Yoder, surfed the crowd. By the end of the night, members of Brooklyn's Ex-Girlfriends and other members of the audience had joined the band onstage for a cover of The Zombies' "She's Not There."

Fruit & Flowers

Fruit & Flowers' Lyzi Wakefield

Fruit & Flowers & Friends

It was a triumphant evening for a band who, I really believe, are destined for big things.

Drug Tax is out now via Little Dickman Records.

Pics from Thursday night will be up in the Flickr galleries or on the Facebook page.