If you think you know what a D.C. band will sound like because you're aware of the rich musical history of this area, you're probably going to be wrong. And if there was ever a group who were intent on pushing boundaries and upsetting all expectations of what D.C. music sounds like, Bottled Up are such a group. Their new album, Crystal, reveals how this outfit, behind singer Rohit Rao, blend elements of glam and Britpop with a really forceful form of post-punk. I liked nearly every cut on this one, folks.
Opener "Crystal" builds to a gradual swell of melody that made me think of Suede and These Animal Men, words I never thought I'd write about any band in this city, but Rao and the players here inject this with enough distinctive touches to make this more than just a Britpop tribute. Elsewhere, "Every Night" sounds a helluva lot like Magazine or The Monochrome Set, the inspirations here more British than American, clearly, while "Luxury" revs up like something from The Buzzcocks or The Chameleons. These compositions succeed, like so many here, thanks to the guitars from Elizabeth Cannon and Michael Mastrangelo.
Bottled Up are, like only a handful of bands I can think of lately, swirling a myriad of influences up in the service of propulsive, chiming material ("Full Yum") that sounds more like New Wave than it does anything this city's served up since maybe The Snakes. But it's a fool's errand to not admit that "Thoughts Feel Strained" sounds like Blur, and that "Reverie" and closer "See You On the Other Side" veer into territory I've not heard any American band explore in decades. This material is similar to that of obscure U.K. bands Earl Brutus and Pelvis, but the glam flashes make this exciting and more accessible entirely. Bottled Up, even with the obvious influences at work here, make this all feel fresh, and the whole record roars past in a rush of hooks, soaring guitars, and pounding drums.
Crystal is out now via Maximum Pelt.
More details on Bottled Up via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Eman El Saied]