by Matt Watton (@brotinus)
PLOSIVS is a modern day So-Cal alt-rock supergroup, helmed by the twin guitars of John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From the Crypt, Hot Snakes) and Rob Crow (Thingy, Pinback, and many, many others). This pairing of prolific San Diego powerhouses sets expectations high, and their self-titled debut does not disappoint. The album is a carnival of awesome punk riffs and surprisingly catchy hooks. The opener “Hit The Breaks” tells you everything you need to know about PLOSIVS. A driving guitar melody and infectious energy overlay with Crow’s signature vocal stylings – a perfect mission statement for an album that at no point hits the brakes. They hone and build on this formula on tracks like “Broken Eyes” and “Rose Waterfall,” where off-kilter rhythms meld with fuzzy-chime guitars.
While you’re bound to hear traces of their earlier projects, PLOSIVS is very much its own thing, and one of this record’s strongest virtues is highlighting just what makes these songwriters so great. On “See You Suffer” and “Thrown Clear” the ear-splitting intensity and tenacity of Hot Snakes is tempered by Crow’s melodic sensibilities, while on “Never Likely” an unmistakably Rob Crow guitar line charges towards a powerful jam that will knock you on your ass. The rhythm section (Jordan Clark on bass and journeyman drummer Atom Willard) are an essential complement for the songwriting, adding to the heavy but contained chaos throughout.
In phonetics, a ‘plosive’ is a consonant formed by a punctuated puff of air through the lips (p’s and b’s – that’s why you need a pop filter on your mic). This is a perfectly befitting name for a band packing so much propulsive punch, pounding pop, and palpable panache. With collectively over 50 years of experience in the music biz, it’s no wonder that they’ve mastered rock songcraft. This is a fun and potent addition to these musicians’ already stacked catalogues.