Following up on their stellar previous EP, this (probably) Austin, Texas group delivers a way more crude and unpolished – yet no less exciting – batch of new tunes located in the more eccentric spheres of the garage-/synth-/eggpunk spectrum. Less catchy overall but more high-energy instead, this makes for a more than serviceable successor to a plainly sensational record that’s been a decidedly tough act to follow anyway and even as the lesser of the two, it’s still a freakin’ increadible bit of eccentric noise to be perfectly honest.
Somehow the kids appear to be into shoegaze again in recent years, yet there hasn’t been all that much in the recent wave that i could really get excited about as most contemporary acts seem perfectly content with creating a pleasant but completely interchangeable bed of light ambient noise to fall asleep in, while lacking the tunes and noise, the punk propulsion and energy of previous generations. A completely different beast though is this second EP of Philadelphia group Mopar Stars, reviving in particular the spirit of the likes of Swervedriver, Pale Saints and early Catherine Wheel while also extending their sonic palette with flourishes of elegant, classic late seventies / early eighties power pop songwriting excellence and not least i’m positively reminded a lot of the early, late-eighties works of UK noise pop act Mega City Four.
Always great fun, a new EP courtesy of Ukraine’s best address for quirky and catchy eggpunk goodness that evokes the aesthetic pillars of Prison Affair, Beer, Set-Top Box, Autobahns, Goblin Daycare, Midgee… yeah, this particular sub-branch of the genre is shaping up to become a remarkably international affair and it’s such a joy to watch it all play out over time.
