Shake Appeal is a column that highlights new garage and garage-adjacent releases. This week, Evan Minsker talks about new releases from Sonic Avenues, Heaters, the Chiefs, and the Bugs.
Sonic Avenues: Mistakes [Dirtnap]
Last week, Dirtnap continued their long-running power-pop hot streak when they released Mistakes, the new LP from Montreal's Sonic Avenues. If you click the big orange play button below, you'll find an album that's joyously scrappy one minute ("Teenage Brain", "In Your Head"), and then paced with cooing backup harmonies the next ("Better Days to Come"). It's a frequent reminder that a strong record of this ilk isn't peak after peak—there have to be thoughtful comedowns, as well. And that's what Mistakes is: a consistently captivating, well-crafted LP that's not afraid to counter the loud stuff with a bit of quiet.
Heaters: Brown Sugar [self-released]
An EP from Grand Rapids' Heaters appeared in this column just two months ago. Since then, Andrew, Josh, and Nolan went up to their attic, churned out five more songs (plus an on-point cover of the "True Detective" theme), and threw them all on their Bandcamp. It's another victory for this band, who reign in their warbling, spacy leanings with crashing, immediate delivery. What's impressive about this band is how they can take a format as typically compact as an EP and make something expansive, but not boring. They ramble, but not aimlessly so. Here's hoping they'll do another five in the next two months.
The Bugs: The Right Time [Wäntage/X-Mist]
Portland's the Bugs are two guys who have been at it since 1998, and on their fourth LP, their lyrics are satirical while their delivery is primitive. On "Caveman", they visit all the "cartoon caveman" tropes—dragging by the hair, wearing loincloths, "ooga booga", and so forth. There's a song called "Tickle Time for the Reaper". Throughout the LP, the guitar is chunky and the percussion is minimal. The Bugs economize as much as possible for a sound that invokes early tape-recorded Daniel Johnston b/w 1960s bubblegum pop. Nothing on The Right Time travels far past the two-minute mark, so you're guaranteed a bunch of bite-sized and fairly goofy tracks.
The Chiefs: The Chiefs 7" [Bachelor]
In the last few weeks, Bachelor have been on a tear—that Dead Ghosts rarities comp? The Sonic Chicken 4 LP? Both great. Now, they're releasing a rare single by the Chiefs—three 1977 tracks from the short-lived Austrian proto-punks. They reportedly only played one show before their members moved on to join Sprays, Plastix, Westblock, and Standard Oil. But as forgotten proto-punk nuggets go, this one's a keeper. It's definitely tough to hear what they're saying beneath the muddy fidelity, but the chugging hook here is undeniable.