There are dozens of good bands out of Oakland these days. It seems like every time there's a new outfit that catches my ear, it's got some connection to the Bay Area. And, of course, the quality control at Slumberland Records is remarkably high. Which is a way of saying that I was pretty sure that the new album from Torrey was going to be worth my time even before I played it.
On songs like "No Matter How" and the bright "Happy You Exist" this group outlines a mix of jangle-pop and proto-shoegaze that is remarkably catchy. There's something Velocity Girl-y about what's here on Torrey, and the whole enterprise is sure to please those of who are after feedback and those chasing hooks. "Pop Song" is just that. For those of you who heard singer Ryann Gonsalves' fine solo album before this one, some of this will likely feel familiar in stylistic terms. Still, the entirety of Torrey rings with promise.
Where things get really interesting on Torrey is on "Bounce", a sleek highlight of the record. This one owes more to label-mate Frankie Rose than label pioneers like Veronica Falls, for example, with the whole track having a really sleek, shiny veneer. It owes as much to the electro-pop of the Eighties as it does to that era's jangle-rock, and it's one of the best tracks here. Torrey use this number, and so many here, to nudge this genre into a new space, making all of Torrey so easy to love, and the entire record one of the finer recent releases on this esteemed imprint.
Torrey by Torrey is out this week from Slumberland Records.
[Photo: Slumberland Records]