It may be business as usual for the Massachusetts trio, but business is as good as ever!
Appropriately enough, considering that Moving Targets are a noisy trio from Massachusetts, much of this record brings to mind fellow noisy American trios Dinosaur Jr and Hüsker Dü. If you enjoy the aforementioned legends’ fondness for splicing melodies with seriously abrasive guitars, then trust us when we say that ‘Red Eyes’ will be right up your boulevard.
Moving Targets are indisputably veterans, having originally formed in the early 80s, but took a long hiatus before a triumphant return in 2019 with the ‘Wires’ album. Vocalist/guitarist/main songwriter Kenny Chambers is the sole constant member, and seems to be on something of a roll of creativity; ‘Red Eyes’ is the band’s fourth record since their return, and the follow-up to 2023’s ‘In The Dust’ (also worth a listen).
The instrumental title track leads us into ‘Saw Too Much’, which has a wonderfully bleary-eyed quality to it, as if it was recorded early on a Sunday morning after very little sleep. If it’s the musical equivalent of a stretch and yawn, then ‘On The Run’ is the band getting their day started, speeding up a tad with the kind of deceptively simple guitar riffing that would surely have Messrs Mould and Mascis nodding in approval.
They don’t deviate much from this blueprint throughout the record, but the highlights come thick and fast. We’re probably showing our ages a bit here, but remember the Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut, when Dave Grohl seemingly had a songwriting Midas Touch? Well, the likes of ‘Lost And Found’ and ‘Nine Lives’ wouldn’t sound out of place on a playlist alongside early Foos fare such as ‘Oh, George’ or ‘Alone + Easy Target’; clearly there are some shared influences at work here, and the results – in both cases – are superb.
Granted, there are few surprises in store here for seasoned fans of the band, but they’ve more than earned the right to stick to a tried and tested recipe. As they sign off with the restless ‘Regrets’, it’s clear that if you like addictive punk rock tunes with rough edges, Moving Targets will not disappoint you.
‘Red Eyes’ is released on July 25th on Boss Tuneage and Dead Broke Records – pre-order it HERE or HERE.
- Red Eyes
- Saw Too Much
- On The Run
- Superficial World
- Fly Away
- Lost And Found
- King Zen
- Surface
- Nine Lives
- Regrets
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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