Get The Fuck Outta Dodge’s third full length album ‘It’s Not Our Fault Your Boyfriend’s Stupid’ marked a step forward for the garage punk duo. Recorded with Arctic Monkeys engineer Alan Smyth and released in 2022, the material presented a warmer, fuller sound, making the Dodge boys sound a little more professional but without taking away too much of their rawness. Their 2024 EP ‘Just Keep Looking Forward’, somewhat ironically, doesn’t really maintain that progress or forward motion, but instead opts for going further back to their roots, with the best of the recordings sounding more like vintage Dodge circa 2020. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Tag Archives: lo-fi
THE SMASHING TIMES – Mrs. Ladyships and The Cleanerhouse Boys
In the promotional materials for ‘Mrs. Ladyships and The Cleanerhouse Boys’, The Smashing Times ask the pressing question: “How many times can you really watch ‘Blow Up’ alone in your room?”, before suggesting that their fifth album presents the work of “your new favourite Mod band”. Although, for the unaware, this might conjure thoughts of discovering an underground phenomenon in the mould of Secret Affair, or perhaps The Len Price 3, the Baltimore band is potentially setting the unsuspecting listener up for a fall. Beyond its grand title and fanciful claims, ‘Mrs. Ladyships…’ offers a world of similar sounds to prior Smashing Times long players, in that any 60s influences are offset by some fairly lo-fi production values.
TURKEY VULTURE – On The List EP
Following a couple of EPs fusing hardcore punk and stoner metal, Connecticut’s Turkey Vulture have chosen to branch out a little more on their 2024 release ‘On The List’. The six tracks still convey a love of great noise and still celebrate a very lo-fi ethic, but Jessie May (gtr/vox) and Jim Clegg (drums) have added swathes of grindcore and a pinch of death metal to their grab-bag of angry sounds. The results – although still very clearly delivered via Turkey Vulture’s furious hand – are utterly devastating. And not only have they increased their sense of force , but they appear to have decreased their already non-existent recording budget, which makes this EP a genuinely uncompromising affair.
CHEN FIRSEL – Believe In The Ending Of The War EP
Chen Firsel’s ‘Believe In The Ending of The War’ is more than just an EP. It’s a three track “song cycle” that sends a message to the world, straight from the heart of Israel.
Watch: Fred Abong shares new video for ‘Listening’
Fred Abong’s current album ‘Blindness’ is a bleak affair, but it’s the kind of record that fans of semi lo-fi material will eventually love. Despite being full of low key arrangements, the record’s best songs come with a surprising amount of texture, and a few plays uncovers a variety of dark soundscape that show off Abong’s DIY sound with a genuine strength.