5 out of 5

Label: Demo?  Digital download, bandcamp.

Producer: Justin Collins

Ugh, man, this is what I want from guitar rock.  This is a 4-song demo, I guess, and I can’t wait to buy a full Record Hop album – I just hope it maintains the same raw rock energy that each of these four tracks blasts out.  There’s not too much to write about here, I mean, the tracks primarily stay plugged in from the get go, it just feels like passionate rawk playing.  For a demo the production qualities actually match the style well, the vocals – a yearning lilt on the verge of getting yelly, sort of Sunny Day-ish with a more punk energy- sitting washed out behind a loud and clear guitar, the drums played cleanly enough to ring out but just quiet enough in the mix to not “clip” the other sounds.  The guitar licks and bass interplay really sell this, things break at just the right moments in each song to work the hook into a different time signature or rhythm.  I can’t really weigh in on the lyrics, but nothing sticks out as annoying – I dig the singer’s annunciation and range, but beyond some vague choruses I can’t really tell what’s being said.  Hopefully the albums won’t trash the lo-fi sound… or they make use of cleaner quality to push the rock further.  WE SHALL SEE