I've been following this band a long time and I'm really happy that they are about to break into a new level of popularity. And it helps that they are on a great label with this one too. Cool Change, the new record from Columbus, Ohio's Connections, drops on Trouble in Mind Records on Friday and it's a blast.
Resolutely lo-fi, this band plow through riff and hook with an enthusiasm that makes a listener always feel the sort of thrill that takes one back to the heyday of American indie. But maybe that time is now? Who knows. "In Space" and "Steppin' Out" marry the familiar GBV-y vibe that this lot have been cultivating for a decade or more, while adding a directness that elevates the material. There's a bit of The Grifters here too, and Pavement, but Connections have finally really made the record that sounds like all the best bits of their own fine back-catalog.
The angular "It'a Start", with its Side Two-of-Murmur hook is a highlight of Cool Change, even as the punk-y "Vacationland" pushes things in a hard direction. None of this new material feels unfamiliar to me, a fan since about 2013 or so, but it does sound like the culmination of a path this band have been on for a long time. The sound is accessible, but still defiantly scrappy and DIY in attitude and vibe. And yet, the tune's are uniformly centered around big hooks, such that this outfit's best compositions function as a kind of power pop at times. Cool Change is a rough delight, and if this is your first trip through Connections territory, this will be a good starting point. If you've been on this ride for a few years, this one will sound like this band's Tim.
Cool Change by Connections is out on Friday via Trouble in Mind Records.
[Photo: Michael O'Shaughnessy]