The first song I listed to from Glitch was the single “Anomalys Rise,” which is an instrumental garage-surf burner. It’s definitely emblematic of the band’s sound and the record overall, yet I’m mildly surprised at the full-length because the vocals play such a role in the overall experience. Not a knock, but it feels like a curious single to release since I was expecting something with a little more surf up front based on that sample.
That said, this record is not a disappointment after that slight twist on my expectations. I also came into the review familiar with Slovenly Recordings and let’s just say this is an obvious fit. The surf element makes it a little unique compared to the label’s general style, but not out of left field. Think 1960’s noisy garage rock with the amps turned all the way up and the speakers partially blown out. It’s rough and tumble, rollicking and up-to-no-good rock ‘n’ roll. While the melodies are clean, everything else is dirty, weathered and drenched in sweat. It’s probably what you thought rock ‘n’ roll meant until 50,000 genre subcategories made the whole thing confusing. “Trooper” even uses the time-tested lyrical cliché of “My baby is a [fill in the blank].”
Really, opener “Smart Patrol” is the song I’d use to introduce people. That drum fill in the first few seconds says almost everything you need to know. It’s energetic and spastic, but also primal and raw. From there the album keeps the tone going for eight more songs, with a few up and down tempos movements along the way. “Dead Friend” is a slow, gloomy numbers that utilizes more of those cliché lyrics to breathe new life into its corpse -- a deliberate choice of words for those who were wondering. Later, “Far Ahead” is symbolic of the deeper influence at play. The distorted guitars certainly leave the strongest impression, but there are elements of bluesy rock, surf stomp rhythms, and some groovy swagger on top.
