In 2018, songwriter/guitarist Dang Anohen, drummer Lip Molina, guitarist/singer Grace Bergere, rhythm guitarist Jesse James, and bassist Mike Coe formed the NYC rock band, Sallies. Taking their inspiration from Nirvana, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, and Ramones the group congregated around Dang’s songwriting and labored on More of the Same for years leading up to its release in May 2020.
More of the Same opens with “Ain’t My Speed,” which premiered April 6, 2020 as a promotional track for the album. The initial lyrics “Can we pretend that nothing is there, say it offhand be more indirect, everyone’s clad in who gives a fuck, everything passed off with a laugh, can we just look the other way” fits well with the interpreted theme of the lyric video in that modern social media culture is vain and ineffectual. In opposition to this culture, the track continues “I’m going away out of this rat cage where I’ve catered to your every need.”
The second track “Driftwood” is a well-executed cascading manic rant where the influence of Nirvana is palpable. “Substance” is a grinding alternative rock song and in this writer’s opinion a critique of another aspect of our culture, consumerism. This becomes especially apparent with the biting lyrics “Everybody works for their cars.” While “T.V. Dinner” slows down the pace from previous tracks initially, but quickly rises in tempo to continue the album’s critique of entertainment culture and its “Hallmark wisdom.”
“Every Whim” is a track that brings the patina of garage punk to the album. Keeping with the cultural critique tradition of punk, the track speaks on the government with the lyrics “Ill get my paycheck, Don’t care who I’m Stepping on.” The following track “Sunny-Side Up” builds with instrumentals and lyrics that summarize the frustration of an individual fed up with being told how to be, “You gave me water, it never turned to wine, Hey that doesn’t Matter, Waters just fine.” “Touching” also taps into the frustration addressed in “Sunny-Side Up” but with more aggression on the track. The following song “Make Way” provides a solution to the frustration of previous tracks, “I’m in a bad way, I’m gonna make way” and serves as an inspiration to jump off whatever bad track you’re on.
“User-Friendly” represents a jarring protest of organized religion. “Id really like you to change me, Id really like you to brand me, Id really like you to savage me, You know me I’m User-Friendly”. The remaining lyrics paint the church, not as a provider of absolution, but a manipulative entity, a “User”. “Ill Be Fine” is another slow starting track that jumps right into a wave thrashing instrumental sequence. The final track “Half Mast” is a well-executed crescendo that both reinforces the anti-establishment position and talent of the Sallies.
Discover more from the Sallies at their Bandcamp.
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