Yuck (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

Late-‘80s and -‘90s indie and alternative rock acts ranging from Smashing Pumpkins to Pavement to Dinosaur Jr. are among the many touchstones of this British quintet. Granted, the members were still in diapers when those bands were in their heydays, so it’s interesting to hear how they absorb that time and sound into their own marriage of squalling shoegazer pop and jangly post-punk. “Get Away,” “Holing Out,” “The Wall,” and “Operation” represent the loud side of the band as distorted vocals, fuzzy guitars, and a wide variety of effects pedals are cranked into the red. These noisy numbers are balanced by “Stutter,” a gauzy, reverb-laden ballad, and melodic and melancholy mid-tempo tracks like “Shook Down,” “Suck,” “Sunday,” and “Suicide Policeman,” the latter featuring sweet harmony vocals by guitarist Daniel Blumberg and his sister Ilana. The album closes on an intriguing note with the hypnotic seven-minute feedback drone of “Rubber.” A fun, self-assured debut by a young band that knows how to channel their musical influences while honing their own sound.