Shake Appeal is a column that highlights new garage and garage-adjacent releases. This time, Evan Minsker gets into new releases from Memphis' Cretin Stompers, Philadelphia's Watery Love, Chapel Hill's Flesh Wounds, Melbourne's Eastlink, and Baltimore's Advlts.
Cretin Stompers: Looking Forward to Being Attacked [HoZac]
Billy Hayes and Alex Gates used to be in a band called the Barbaras, who were one of Memphis' great underrated garage-pop outfits (whose sole LP finally got released a couple years back). Gates went off with Magic Kids, Hayes found himself playing in Jay Reatard's band and, subsequently, Wavves. Now, alongside someone called Big Muff Radio, they're in Cretin Stompers, and their debut LP on HoZac is a total treat. It's erratic, what with its washy alien noise and incomprehensible high-pitched vocals. But beneath the oddball sonics are legitimately catchy songs that are worth diving into—"Randy Kraft", for example, is infectious as all get out. Oh, and Memphis art legend William Eggleston did the album art for this, which is insane.
Watery Love: Decorative Feeding [In the Red]
After a five-year trickle of 7"s (including a side that comes packed with the new issue of The Pitchfork Review), Philadelphia's Watery Love finally have a (very good) full-length out. With heavy guitar waves and crashing drums, it's an LP with that pairs power with an intriguing sense of narrative. Some of its best moments are the quietest ones, like the cool down on "Piece of Piss", with these ringing working-man guitar solos (like you'd hear in a Petty track or something) that come in before frontman Richie Charles sullenly slurs, "Why don't you just get out of my life?/ Why don't everybody leave me alone?" I could go piece by piece with this album and pick out highlights, but I won't bore you, because there are a lot of those. Listen to this album.
Flesh Wounds: "Bitter Boy" 7" [Merge]
Flesh Wounds are Montgomery Morris, Dan Kinney, and Laura King—a garage punk trio from Chapel Hill whose new 7" is a brazen ripper and an essential slab of wax. The solo on "Kennel Cough" emerges with the sort of roar that would've sounded appropriate on Tres Hombres. There's the cutthroat attack of "Let Me Be Clear", which roars past in under two minutes of incredible fury. The cover art is bleeding. Incredibly, this 7" is brought to you by Merge Records, who should probably make it more of a regular practice to scoop up incredible punk tracks from local bands and put them out, because this thing rules.
Eastlink: Eastlink [In the Red]
Out of the ridiculously prolific town of Melbourne, Australia, comes Eastlink, a band with four guitarists. It's worth mentioning that while "band with four guitarists" implies a non-stop shredfest, that isn't what Eastlink is, exactly. It's an album that isn't afraid to pull back for longer, droning stretches, like with the calm raga of "Dinnerchat". Their new LP has an impressive sprawl to it, where it's not afraid to ride out one mode for a while, supplementing a repetitive riff with various guitar textures. And when they want to turn up the power a bit, as they do on the awesomely abrasive track "Overtime", they completely succeed. PSA: Eastlink's members include dudes from Total Control, UV Race, Repairs, Lakes, and Straightjacket Nation.
Advlts: 7" [Southpaw]
Who are "Advlts, of Baltimore"? If their new 7" on Southpaw is any sign, they're more than your run-of-the-mill "we replaced a 'u' with a 'v' because it looks cool" fare. In 60 seconds, they establish a tone that's powerful in its elegant simplicity with "Raw Nerves". There are handclaps, a three-chord chug, and a guitar line that adds density without attempting to show off. On one hand, it all goes away too quickly when the minute's up. On the other, this sort of thing could easily wear out its welcome after three minutes. Good on 'em for keeping it brief; it's their vinyl debut, and a fine debut it is.
Also Worth Hearing: An LP from Sick Hyenas (via Dumpster Tapes); the new album from Chicago's Nones (via HoZac)