by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Back in the quiet dead zone that is the internet in December, we had the pleasure of sharing Connecticut based trio Bilge Rat’s first single, “Jon Puked Last Night”. The song, which we said contained a “woozy seasick quality [that] could soundtrack a drunken misadventure in the best of ways” is equal parts ominous, disorienting and crushing. That was only the beginning though, and we’re thrilled to share the exclusive stream of Townie Garbage, the band’s debut in EP in full today.
An impressive debut to say the least, Townie Garbage is the sound of a band at their beginning, mining their influences as they develop their own sound. The trio, formed in the late summer months have created an inviting debut, it’s complex and determined, full of songs that ebb and flow from crashing tides to the most gentle of hazy breezes. “Ode To The Hole In My Mouth” opens the record with sludgy blasts and haunting croons, as the band take influence from a wide range of their New England peers. Townie Garbage continuously evolves from there, an expertly crafted debut that’s both highly repeatable and triumphantly unpredictable. The band's eerily wobbling song structures keep listeners on their toes as elastic polyrhythmic drum patterns work to carry the rhythm as much as they accent the melodies. It’s a wild ride throughout the EP, tossing and turning over itself from the most serene of downer pop to the harshest reaches of dissonant indie rock fury, coinciding in murky bliss.
Bilge Rat prove themselves over and over again on Townie Garbage, a must listen as we begin the new year. Watch out for these guys, we expect great things to come and they’re off to a pretty exceptional start.
Bilge Rat's Townie Garbage is out January 8th on cassette and digital via TombTone Records and Good Sadie Media.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
01/06 - New Haven, CT @ Bar w/ Cloakroom & Wildhoney
01/15 - Boston, MA @ The Record Company w/ Kal Marks, The Amphibious Man & more
01/23 - New Haven, CT @ The Fish House w/ Morus Alba, Disco Teen 66, Glambat & more
03/31 - New Haven, CT @ Cafe 9 w/ Stove, Kal Marks, Left and Right & Crag Mask