It's been three years since the last album from Lo Tom. And while the band achieved some attention for that one, the new one, LP2, may not get quite as much attention. Self-released, this one is a labor of love for these players, and full of the sort of immediate rock that recalls the best days of the indie boom in the US some decades ago. This is unassuming but punchy stuff, and it's hard to find a fault with anything here.
Any discussion of Lo Tom has to acknowledge where these players came from, and their previous pedigrees: David Bazan (Pedro the Lion), Trey Many (Starflyer 59, His Name is Alive), Jason Martin (Starflyer 59), and TW Walsh (Pedro the Lion, The Soft Drugs). And none of this sounds like anything from His Name is Alive, for example, but there's a lot here that should sit nicely next to numbers from Bazan's Pedro the Lion. Still, this is material that's direct, simple, and unadorned, with nothing extra cluttering up the sound. "Suck It Up" and "Outta Here" churn with flashes of Joy Division-style hooks abounding, while "No Margin of Error" takes the tempo down considerably. There's still heft here, but it's subdued almost. "In a Van" and "Start Payin'" are perhaps the most successful tracks here, blending a sort of nicer version of The Jesus Lizard's kind of attack with something as nimble as Mission of Burma in spots.
LP2 is out now.
More details on Lo Tom via the band's official Facebook page.