by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
The members of Oakland’s Nopes, one of our countries brightest hidden gems, stay busy when Nopes aren’t busy. There’s the hilariously named opposites, Yups, and then there’s MEH. Between all three bands, the common thread is blown out records, but where Nopes create noise punk and Yups make garage / power-pop, MEH set their sights on feedback soaked indie rock in the vein of Guided By Voices or Teenage Fanclub. Just like Nopes and Yups, MEH is an exceptional display of songwriting that get the nuance of noise balanced with melody and strong structures. The band are locked into their songs, even when their guitars feel as though they’re recklessly imploding, it’s all harnessed into their brand of lo-fi bliss.
Set to release their official full length debut, Red Kite Crane, on August 30th via Reflective Tapes (Mess, Special Moves, DUMP HIM), the album’s first single and title track is a perfect introduction. The song is both laid back but immediate, the big outstretched guitars and slacker-pop melody blending together with heavy distortion into something that drops deep into your consciousness like the last thought you had while drifting off to sleep, now permanently stuck with you in some mangled form. There’s a serious folk vibe to it and a touch of twang, sticking out just under the layer of dense guitar fuzz in a way that recalls early Sebadoh, though there shouldn’t be any confusion. This is MEH’s own blistering lo-fi “pop,” and it’s as sugary sweet as it is piercingly abrasive. Play it loud, play it often, this is our kind of zen.