I’m calling it now: Philadelphia is the place to be for punk rockin’. Sure, we’ve had many a band from Dr. Dan Yemin, but with acts like the Menzingers, Stay Sharp and the Holy Mess delivering a golden shower of sexy hits, it’s clear that things are going well in the city of brotherly shove. Add to that list Restorations, an indie-tinged punk act that is either a spacier Lucero/Gaslight Anthem-type act or a punker Broken Social Scene. Either way, their new-ish 12-inch EP Strange Behavior is tops.
The first side of the EP is all business. “Title Track” and “Linear Notes” are throaty rockers. The flipside is where the band starts tweaking their formula. “The Reappearing American Hobo” is a little sadder, slower, and atmospheric, but it doesn’t kill the energy as the song recounts what sounds like a pretty awkward conversation between a guy and a gal about the merits of Jack Kerouac (Side note: Anyone else think On the Road reads like an anti-drug PSA?).
“Documents” closes out the vinyl in epic fashion. Oh sure, it’s still gritty in the vox department, but there’s an insistently spacey guitar line that works its way through the song as the band builds the song up. It’s pretty cool in a Castevet, er, CSTVT sort of way. I could see this being really awesome at the end of a live set. Strange Behavior is a tad slower than the punk mindset might be able to handle, but it hits that sweet spot of post-hardcore and post-rock. Restorations are the Snickers of music (Jokerz if you’re vegan).
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