HANDSTAND RECORDS

Cave Dweller Music – January 2021 review:
Groupie - Ephemeral 12" LP

The music is catchy and upbeat but also has a raw and grungy edge to it, the true draw of the album is that sweet spot between its two sides.

Full Review:

The band hail from Brooklyn, New York and play a blend of post-punk and noise rock. This is the band’s first full-length offering and follows two EPs and several singles over the past few years. The band is Ashley Kossakowski (bass and vocals), Johanna Healy (guitar and vocals), Eamon Lebow (guitar) and Aaron Silberstein (drums).

The band’s sound draws clear influences from the 70s and 80s post punk sound, the band list The Stooges, The Cure and The Clash in particular as influences in this style. There’s more here than just that though, the band also draw influence from more modern acts such as Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, and The Breeders. This combination of sounds and styles give them a distinctive style of their own that really stood out to me.

The music is catchy and upbeat but also has a raw and grungy edge to it, the true draw of the album is that sweet spot between its two sides. We get some fantastic post-punk and noise rock inspired guitar work that is able to capture some of the best elements from each style. The vocals are captivating and really suit the music well. They have a great energy to them and draw you in to the music but can also add plenty of punk edge when needed to spice things up. They can also be soothing and calming when they need to be to add further diversity to the album on slower calmer tracks. One of the big draw cards for me would have to be the bass work though, its thick and chunky and heavily present in the mix.

Overall, this is a solid full length debut and I think that the band has a very bright future ahead of them. They have a very wide range of appeal that I think will draw in fans from various areas of the musical spectrum. Their blending of older and more modern styles gives them a broad appeal to listeners of all ages and backgrounds. So, take some time and check this one out.

Buy this album

Groupie

Ephemeral 12″ LP

$25.00