The backing band for Calvin Johnson on his recent album, Hartle Road are striking out on their own. Their album is MAXX II it's is out now via K Records and Perennial. It's a sassy bit of business, with hooks and riffs offered up all throughout the grooves.
Opener "Feel It" is an instrumental but the fuzzy guitar hooks carry this one, making it catchy and insistent, while "Rear Projection" is even better. There's a sort of B-52's-vibe in this one, but it's not a heavy one. The cut, like lots here, snaps with purpose. There's a lot of old school DIY energy on MAXX II, and things that will make one recall Dub Narcotic and even Beat Happening releases.
These Columbus, Mississippi folks make this material bounce. "ICU" feels like an old Bush Tetras or Kleenex number, even as "Screen" has a faster, punkier edge. There's variety here, but a sense of a band really knowing exactly what they are doing. As I would have told folks 30+ years ago when first putting on a Beat Happening record, "Don't mistake lo-fi for low ambition!" The same rule applies here as Hartle Road are getting it done. And when the band leaps over yet another genre-boundary to try their hand at Stereolab-like space rock with "Catch the Cradle", the result is a little stunning. I dig smart, fun, and energetic records like this.
MAXX II by Hartle Road is out now. Details below and via K Records.
[Photo: Hartle Road / K Records Bandcamp]