This youthful DC quartet burn brightly on their first release!
The kids are alright, folks. Washington DC quartet Petrichor are probably sick of journos like me mentioning their age (all between 13 and 15 years old, since you ask), but it’s rare that we hear a young band that gel as well as they do on this debut EP.
Self-styled as a ‘riotgrunge’ band, they’ve certainly soaked up plenty of influence from the greats of both Seattle and their native DC. Opening track ‘Chip’ is replete with chugging guitars and a gloriously deadpan semi-spoken intro, and gives way to an effortless-sounding (but probably actually difficult to write) melodic chorus. It’s swiftly followed by ‘PPP’, which surfs in on a Fugazi-esque bass line and some awesome ‘In Bloom’ style crunchy power chord action; the vocalists even singing along with the guitar line from time to time. It sounds great – why can’t more bands do that?
‘Shoe Song’ is apparently “a late-capitalist retelling of ‘The Little Old Lady Who Lived In A Shoe’”, and is probably the catchiest thing on offer here, with the chorus still bouncing around our heads days after first listen. Meanwhile, final track ‘X Marks The Spot’ was inspired by an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and is brilliantly unorthodox – built around sparse guitars and an almost ska-style outro. It’s the sound of a band who, despite the often-serious subject matter, are obviously having a lot of fun experimenting with their sound.
It’s all served up enjoyably raw, the work of a band wise beyond their years. Petrichor clearly haven’t set any rules for themselves, and they sound like they don’t give a shit – in the best possible way. Do yourself a favour – check out this EP, and keep a close ear out for what they might do next.
‘Petrichor’ is out now – check it out HERE.
- Chip
- PPP
- Shoe Song
- X Marks The Spot
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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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