It seems like only yesterday that I was reviewing Destroy.Rebuild, the sixth album from the D.C. area's The Jet Age. The power trio had managed to channel their biggest influences -- The Who and some-time touring mates The Wedding Present -- in the service of what was, in some ways, the band's sharpest album yet.
Following some dates in this area, from which that pic up above was taken by my wife, and a festival in Brighton, England, last fall, The Jet Age laid low for a bit. And now -- bam! -- they've come back and dropped 2 new songs and a remix today in anticipation of the unveiling of album number 7 some time later this year.
The wonderfully titled "Your Sweet Nothings" enters your ears, like most of the cuts from this group, on the back of drummer Pete Nuwayser's Moon impression on the skins, and bassist Greg Bennett's Entwistle-meets-Geezer Butler bass-work. And, of course, then comes Tischler with his insistent vocals, fuzzed out guitar riffs, and personal lyrics. The sound is, thankfully, uniquely that of The Jet Age and one can think again that this band can do certain things extremely well, and in doing them has crafted a sound that is so singular that it begs for more fans.
The flip, as it were, is "The Only Difference" all down-tempo beats and languid riffs percolating around Tischler's yearning vocals. The guitar almost takes a backseat here to the bass and drums but, this being a Jet Age record, eventually Eric's axe is going to grab some attention too. The guitar effects here, like on "Your Sweet Nothings" as well, are used subtly. In other hands, a guy like Tischler's love of shoegaze stuff like Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine would have resulted in a band that sounded like an American clone of one of those acts. Instead, wisely, Tischler puts his fandom in the service of something else entirely and while there are traces of those acts -- most notably Swervedriver -- here (like they are in all Jet Age releases), the tracks are more than just tributes to an earlier era.
Look, I really dig these guys and with each release I fully expect them to reach more people and get more fans just like me. These 2 new cuts are the start of the build-up to album 7 and it's time to get onboard now if you aren't already.
Follow The Jet Age via their official website, or their official Facebook page.