In case you’re looking for some great music from debuting DIY bands, you’ve come to the right place. Continuing with the 5 New DIY Debuts You’ve Gotta Hear series, this third installment kicks off with a debut from an exciting new duo from New York.
In This Installment:
PUNT – Tivoli, New York
Balloon Ride Fantasy – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
That’s Right! – New York, New York
The Masonry – Los Angeles, California
Repel The Robot – Dallas, Texas
PUNT – OIL EP
Tivoli, New York DIY duo PUNT kick out powerful, lo-fi garage punk rock on their debut album, OIL – an impressive accomplishment from a promising new band. And they do it without using one guitar.
Bassist Eli Frank aptly describes PUNT’s music as “lo-fi garage punk, with a classic rock/metal undertone and a psychedelic influence,” adding, “the Wurlitzer organ and tambourine are on many tracks. Simple punk song structure, short and sweet tunes, upbeat and loud.” He can mimic the sound of guitars, and does, through the organ and effects, particularly apparent on “All The Way.” While Frank is buzzing along on bass and organs on standout songs like “Black and White,” drummer and co-PUNTer, Bill Butts, keeps a solid back beat and rhythm, hitting the skins and tins with fervent passion.
The chemical reaction that became PUNT is a relatively recent creation. The duo first got together this past February for an ad-hoc jam session, expecting nothing to come of it. By the end of the weekend, they had a bunch of new demos and a chemistry that sowed the seeds for PUNT. “We started out playing one weekend to mess around,” Frank says, “and came out of the jam with a handful of solid original tracks after a quick eye opening session.”
In just a couple of months, they wrote and recorded, mixed and mastered, 11 songs for a triumphant debut album. OIL is raw, energetic, lo-fi, unique and a nice DIY surprise for 2015.
Frank distorts his Fender Precision bass to produce the romp and bump with punk riffs with psychedelic notes. Butts plays his heart out on a simple kit; his style has a “jazz influence and is heavily inspired by Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Ginger Baker (Cream), and other monumental drummers.”
PUNT has opened for bands like Gym Shorts and Vulture Shit and count among their top musical influences bands like Black Sabbath, Cream, and Thee Oh Sees. PUNT is currently in the midst of a run of shows in New York and as far south as DC. Check out their gig schedule, listen to more songs, buy OIL, and follow the band on PUNTMUSIC.com.
“Black and White“ – PUNT from OIL
“All the Way“ – PUNT from OIL
PUNT’s Official Website – PUNTMusic.com
Balloon Ride Fantasy – Balloon Ride Fantasy EP
Pittsburg synth pop, ‘fantasy rock’ sextet Balloon Ride Fantasy recently released their debut, self-titled album inspired by “80s pop nostalgia, science fiction and such artists as David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Prince.” In ‘indie’ terms, they’re somewhere between Flaming Lips and Of Montreal sound-wise.
Soaring synth flourishes, vocal dubbing harmonies and choruses on the song, “Balloon Ride Fantasy,” are the elements of the band’s sound within the synth pop/art rock – sub genre, sub genre – which makes them even more fascinating. Additional songs like the entertaining “100101” are crowd favorites when the band gigs in Steel City and the region. We definitely expect to hear more from the band in the next year. Their self-titled DIY debut EP is one of the top synth pop debuts of the year.
BRF members include Chris Olszewski (vocals, guitar); Phil Conley (guitar, keys); Brad Schneider (bass); Jordan Wood (keys); Bethany Berkstresser (vocals) and Brian Ganch (drums). The band has previously opened for Jeff Tweedy and they’ve been well covered in the Pittsburgh alternative press. In addition to the artists mentioned above, the six band members have many musical influences, including Hall and Oats, Phil Collins, Bloc Party, Tokyo Police Club, The Kissaway Trail, At The Drive-In, Boards of Canada, Cursive, The Strokes, Interpol, and Wolf Parade. That’s an awesome list of bands!
“Balloon Ride Fantasy“ – Balloon Ride Fantasy from Balloon Ride Fantasy
“100101“ – Balloon Ride Fantasy from Balloon Ride Fantasy
Balloon Ride Fantasy official website
Balloon Ride Fantasy on Facebook
That’s Right! – Tiger 7″
Three friends from New York City who grew up going to summer camp together decided last summer to form a band called That’s Right! and plunge into the world of DIY rock. The long-time friends – guitarists and vocalists Griffin Novie and Tyler Kamen, along with drummer Dylan Bressler – recruited bassist Artie Greenberg, and started playing shows all over NYC and Long Island, building a local following.
The single, “Tiger Lily,” is amazing – a drifting, jam-heavy track that cuts through everything else with such authority, or as the band puts it: “a muscular but nimble journey that builds to a climactic four-part harmony.” And yet, on the ‘B-side,’ the second song, “Pillar of Salt,” sounds like a track from a completely different band because it is so folksy.
Blending the haziness of psychedelia with the energy of progressive and alternative rock, and layered with harmonies, their music spans across decades of sonic influences but with a firmly contemporary aesthetic. The band really know where they want to go and obviously have a united passion.
“There’s such a sense of family and friendship that informs our process,” Greenberg said, “and we just flat-out enjoy spending time with each other. I feel like a lot of bands that are put together on Craigslist and through friends of friends are more than capable of emulating that bond, but with us it’s really the driving factor in continuing to play music together.”
That’s Right! are influenced mainly by “classic and progressive rock, but also modern jam bands and psychedelic rock,” including bands like
Tame Impala, Rush, Love, Radiohead, Muse, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles. The Tiger Lily 7″ dropped in April.
“Tiger Lily“ – That’s Right! from Tiger 7″
“Pillar of Salt“ – That’s Right! from Tiger 7″
The Masonry – As We Fall In
A DIY debut album that should not be overlooked, As We Fall In, from Los Angeles band The Masonry, is one that has been a favorite in the cafe this summer. Our top picks from the LP include “Arrows,” with its seamless chord progressions, soaring guitar solos, thunderous drums and bass, and ultimate climax.
The band’s musical skills and experimentation are showcased in stretches of free form jamming (big fans of this style that has been making a comeback) on the track, and throughout the album as well. By combining complex rhythms, folk inspired male/female vocal harmonies, post rock guitar tones, and accessible melodies, the band has created its unique sound.
The song, “Tired Wars,” is also a little gem that keeps beckoning us back to listen again and again. We love how the band weaves elements from Indie rock, shoegaze, post rock, psych, and alternative rock into their overall sound. The band members include guitarist and vocalist Matt Tye, keyboardist and vocalist Krissy Tye, guitarist Jason McKay, bassist Evan Pegler and Hunter Michael on drums.
The Masonry hold a lot of promise. But LA is tough. It’s a sprawling urban megalopolis overflowing with talented artists and bands vying for some recognition. The band has a good shot at building a following in the LA area, and beyond, with the right mix of publicity, branding, promotion, and plenty of gigging. Raw talent still counts for something. And right now, The Masonry have raw talent, a handful of awesome songs and the drive to succeed. The Masonry has opened for artists like O’Brother and Native, and list their top musical influences to include Brand New, The National, The Dear Hunter, and Abilities.
Tired Wars – The Masonry from As We Fall In
Arrows – The Masonry from As We Fall In
Repel The Robot – Why We Are Who We Are
The Dallas alt rock/pop duo Repel The Robot formed in 2013 “after a long period of musical exploration,” between friends Jarrett Shaffer and Sean Trauth. They’ve opened for bands like The Vaccines, Slow Magic, Mew and Carnage before they even had a debut record.
The duo started out writing music together via Google hangouts and Skype while attending college. After graduation, Shaffer and Trauth teamed up to finish working on their debut DIY EP, Why We Are Who We Are, featuring standout songs like “Feels Damn Good,” and “This Time Tomorrow.” The debut EP dropped in April.
The first single, “Feels Damn Good,” is definitely the most memorable track from the EP with dream pop spliced with rock elements, including uptempo riffs, synth embellishments and big vocal harmonies. In fact, the song earned Repel The Robot a winning spot in JanSport’s 6th Annual Battle of the Bands competition to play at SXSW. The second track, “This Time Tomorrow,” is an acoustic pop love song, and further evidence of the duo’s talents as songwriters and musicians. Their top musical influences include Coldplay, Taking Back Sunday, Deadmau5, MuteMath, Linkin Park, and Atmosphere.
“Feels Damn Good“ – Repel The Robot from Why We Are Who We Are
“This Time Tomorrow“ – Repel The Robot from Why We Are Who We Are