by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
It’s been five years since Brooklyn via Japan’s Hard Nips released the Bunny EP, but the long wait is over as they’ve announced their next full length, Master Cat. Due out June 4th via Rochester’s Dadstache Records (Cusp, Comfy, Slight Of), the quartet’s last is inspired by 80’s post-punk and alternative rock (think Blondie, B-52’s, and The Ramones), driven through a garage pop lens. With three of the four bands members having moved to New York from Japan, they came together with a shared connection and friendship before they ever started playing music. When they decided to start a band, it seemed the idea paid off, and they continue to refine their sound with catchy melodies and pop hooks.
“Alternative Dreamland” is the album’s second single, following album opener “Blender X”. Where that song had a driving rock ‘n’ roll vibe that’s somewhere between Crazy Horse and The Go-Go’s, their latest is a more of a groover, with an inescapable bass line and a sultry melodic shuffle. It feels retro while sounding modern, taking those Blondie influences and reworking them to fit their hypnotic garage rock sweet-spot. When the song incorporates back and forth gang vocals with the lead it really caps off the kind of charm that Hard Nips bring to the sound.