Picture if you will, early 90’s Alice in Chains, mixed with the hipster sound possessed by The Strokes, covered over with Henry Rollins singing while Marc Brownstein throws in a couple of electronic beats just to keep it hip. You follow that? Not many would. Somehow however The Blurry Nights, formerly, Sonic Spank, have taken this sound and made it theirs.
The opening track “Beekeeper”, off their self titled debut EP, is a a hard ripping track where the lyrics are not that clear, but yet the tune gets stuck in the listeners head, and the droning sound lingers all day. Trying to make sense out of it however, may be a struggle. A shredding guitar solo in the middle by Benjamin Karp, brings the song a White Lion feel, while going right back into Ian McGuire singing about the “Beekeeper.” A catchy opening track, for the right reason? You can be the judge.
“Checked Out”, the next track has a groovy beach vibe, with lyrics about being, well, checked out. A feeling that many rock stars claim to have known, or felt at some point during their career, but with this laid back chill tune you can feel vocalist McGuire, really has checked out and does not want anyone to harsh his mellow. This is a song for any hipster who just wants to be cool, have his day in the sun and chill. “Hours to Kill”, the next track is similar to “Beekeeper”, catchy, heavy making little sense, but all and all good hard rocking fun. The track of the EP is “Don’t Need 3”, with the drums at the beginning of the song, played by new comer Jeremy Worthington, set off a sweet beat that leads to great things. A fast beat layered with a sweet high pitched guitar gets the listeners attention for the story about to be told. The songs tells the tale of a guy trying to get comfortable with his lady friend and all of a sudden she wants to bring another dude into the mix! Not for this guy! He may be singing this song as if he’s Julian Casablancas, but he is not down for the swingster way of life; that’s not for him. (not that Julian is, but, who knows).
The EP ends with “Cant Have a Fun Alone”, showing more of the Sonic Spank sound than the previous songs did. With extended jams and build ups that would transfer quite well in a live setting. Which can be seen as the band has their offical EP release party on Saturday May, 17 at Bourbon and Branch in Philadelphia. This is a time of experimental rock that should not be missed by anyone into any type of music.
Key Tracks: Checked out, Don’t Need 3, Can’t Have Fun Alone
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