Skater slackboard hunk-punks from Brooklyn, Philadelphia pull through again with their crooked take on post-2007’s Smashing Pumpkins meets the coked out vibes of the “what-if-Pavement-were-from-the-70s” reunion revival of yesteryear, servin’ up a dash of what’s better known as This side of singer Greg Ruthking’s jizzed out stoner fantasy mind.” Pain from the LVL UP album Return to Love (release date: September 23rd 2016)
LVL UP’s excellent previous album Hoodwink’d was released through Double Double Whammy and Exploding in sounds and now the band have hopped, skipped and jumped over to Sub Pop in what seems to be an attempt to release as many records on as many great labels as possible. This is indeed a great record right from the off. Opening track ‘Hidden Driver’ not so much makes a nod to Neutral Milk Hotel but actually sounds like it could be a cover version and I’m not complaining. The whole album just sounds gorgeous, like you’d want your most reliable, cheerful best mate to sound if they were a record. At the midway point “Pain” encapsulates all that is great about this band with its mix of gentle strumming, melting melodies, bounce and crunching guitars. Return to Love is arguably good old American indie rock by numbers but hey, those are some pretty perfect numbers.
The Fat Angel Sings 