Come Closer
Pretty Garbage
Pirates Press (2021)
J. Wang has played in a lot of bands: Dan Padilla, Tiltwheel, Altaira, and Shallow Cuts, to name a few. In other words, he’s an active musician and when his other bands broke up, or went on hiatus, or live too far away – throw in a year-plus pandemic -- well, a creator’s gotta create. Come Closer actually kicked off well before the pandemic changed life, being roughly half-complete before Wang went into isolation, holing up in the back room of his house in San Diego and learning about self-production, with help from friends old (Tiltwheel) and new (Pinback) along the way.First and foremost, this is Wang’s project. It’s earnest and personal, just like you’d expect. To be frank, his vocals have always had that sense, whatever band he was in, but this time it’s under the spotlight a little bit more. His voice has a modest and personable tone that makes you feel like you already know him when you hear it. It’s soft, yet ragged; soothing punk rock. It’s also working-class music. I’m surprised it takes until song 10 for a reference to the 40-hour work week (though we get some guitar that sounds like Jon Mellencamp in … Read more
The Wheelz
Twenty/Twenty EP
No Front Teeth Records/Boulevard Trash (2021)
This was a hard review to write. It’s not because this EP is bad, but because it’s so damn good. … Read more
Honshu Wolves
Cosmic Creature Capture
Voodoo Rhythm (2021)
Over the grassy knoll, down the weed tangled pathway, and to the right of the small babbling brook lays a … Read more
Street Eaters
Simple Distractions EP
Nervous Intent Records (2021)
The info surrounding this EP talks about how Street Eaters have changed. The band formed roughly a decade ago, so … Read more
The Next Great American Novelist
Careless Moon
Independent (2020)
Insert joke about judging a book by its cover, in reference to a band who calls themselves The Next Great … Read more
