Gay Elvis has been a regular fixture on New Jersey’s underground rock scene for a number of years. You might know him best as a member of Readymade Breakup or The Blakes. You might have encountered him as a member of The Vice Rags, a once raw garage rock band who took a dramatic turn to become a very melodic retro rock band on their second LP. There’s a chance you stumbled across his solo EP, but there’s an even greater chance that you don’t know Elv at all.
The Mediocre Friends was a new name on his CV for 2024, but the roots of the band go back way further. The musical project brings Elvis back into the musical fold alongside his old high school buddies – the guys responsible for him taking his first steps as a musician. Years on, they reconvened to record a bunch of songs, sort of as “unfinished business”, if you will. The four completed tracks were released to Bandcamp in the June of 2024, by which time, personal disagreements had actually split the band of friends once again.
Their ‘So, This Is It?’ EP offers the nostalgia of friendship and a creative freshness. With a melodic heart and ragged outer shell, the four songs capture a contrast that sort of suits the love-hate friendship Mediocre Friends appeared to have. At its best, the material probably has enough entertainment for those who previously enjoyed the louder aspects of the earlier Vice Rags or even The Blakes, but this short release is certainly worth an ear from anyone who still loves the more commercial aspects of 90s alternative rock.
The opening track, ‘I Adore’, in particular, shares a superb energy. It throws the listener head first into a world of garage rock where driving rhythms and ringing guitars collide in a way that provides an instant call back to ‘Hootenanny’ era Replacements meeting with a slightly less punky ‘Made To Be Broken’ era Soul Asylum, and the band are as tight as hell. The descending riffs that bridge the verse and chorus bring an equal amount of spark as the dominating punky rhythms, and a ripping lead guitar break offers a strong link back to the college rock sounds of the mid 80s. It’s interesting how well the song’s punky spirit suits a semi rootsy vocal, and also cool how the band haven’t been at all shy in throwing a bunch of harmonies over some rather sharp edges. If nothing else on this EP makes an impression, this alone is worth the push of a button for a free download.
The strong ringing guitar sound reappears during the intro of ‘That’ll Be Me’, but beyond that, no further connection with ‘I Adore’ should be sought. Here, with the aid of a mid tempo rhythm, a strong 60s power pop tone and some huge harmonies in hand, the band occasionally sound more like they’re tackling an old Badfinger tune with the help of Matthew Sweet. That, obviously, results in something great; Elv’s hard edged rhythm guitar and soaring vocal dominates – very much in the style of Sweet circa his ‘100% Fun’ sessions, but crane your ears past the sheen, and you’ll pick up on some rather solid bass work from Bill Cederroth too. In and out in exactly two minutes, its almost like the band have sat and written a perfect power pop tribute to order.
The punchy hard rock elements that colour ‘Be Alright’ don’t create something as immediate or distinctive, but once again, the band’s playing is tight throughout. Chris Dicksheid’s drumming locks in very well with Bill’s bass work, and the dual guitar work shared between Elv and Mike Eckhart serves up a big enough sound, but a couple of plays in, there still isn’t anything that sticks in terms of lyrical hooks. There are flashes of something that sounds like a nod to Readymade Breakup’s more commercial sound, as is only natural; nods towards classic hard rock muscling in on a garage rock tone, along a few great vocals, but everything feels a little laboured compared to this EP’s stronger tracks. The less discerning ear will discover a couple of great riffs along the way, but this isn’t necessarily going to be considered the EPs standout by many. Slowing down a little more,
‘This Old House’ features some great drumming from Chris, a very understated vocal and a massively overdriven guitar riff on the chorus that, again, has hints of Soul Asylum, only this time the sound draws from the more melodic charms of their later ‘Let Your Dim Light Shine’. Given the age of these musicians, their location, and influences they’ve absorbed by the time of these recordings, it’s only natural they’d sound so adept at reworking the elements of alternative radio filler from the 90s, and the playing here is great. The track’s middle eight is particularly pleasing: songwriter Chris has written himself a brilliant militaristic rhythm, under which Bill flexes some hefty bass driven muscle, and this brief detour, although not flashy, really shows how much thought has gone into the musical arrangement.
There’s not much that’s original here, but that really doesn’t matter. It’s a great snapshot in time: four songs – one written by each of the band members – four moods, and a whole world of riffs. It seems for the briefest of moments, the adult Mediocre Friends were able to catch the lightning in a bottle energy of their youth and apply that to the kind of mature songwriting their former selves wouldn’t likely have delivered. The union didn’t last, but if others get to ride their brief wave of enthusiasm with this release, it’s all been worthwhile.
July 2024
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