The new album from The Golden Boys, Better Than Good Times, is the type of release that's going to catch a lot of people off guard. The album, out on Friday via 12XU, is a collection of surprisingly riotous and rollicking American indie of the sort in short supply these days.
The Golden Boys -- Nay Nay Arbeitman, Matt Hoopengardner, Patrick Travis, John Wesley Coleman III, and Bryan Schmitz -- make raucous tunes like "So Cowoby" and the lyrical "Cincinnati" work in the manner of old Replacements numbers, for lack of an easier comparison. The nearly-lovely "Kick The Can" offers up a near-twang-y vibe, while the excellent and catchy "She's A Song" made me think of the music of The Grifters. Elsewhere, the title cut and the punchy "Lonely Girls" deliver pure adrenaline, while the ragged "Rattle On" clangs with an impressive sense of abandon. "Let The Cold Wind Blow" even adds a faint hint of Nicky Hopkins-era Stones to the mix as this record closes.
The sixth album from this lot, Better Than Good Times from The Golden Boys is a blast of a record. Thoroughly unpretentious and full of furiously direct indie-rock, this one is sure to please fans of bands as disparate as The Jayhawks, Pavement, and Big Black.
Better Than Good Times is out on Friday via 12XU. More details on the band via that link below.
[Photo: Angela Betancourt]