Notches - Huge 7"

Young Modern / Hip Kid / Cat Dead Details Later (2015)

Young Modern sent me this Notches 7" to review along with the band's recent full length (that review will be coming soon).  This was another in a series of bands I didn't know about that knocked my socks off when I gave them a whirl.

We'll start with the one criticism I have first and that's that the recording quality isn't quite up to how great the songs are.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of slick, overproduced sounding rock & roll and I appreciate a little hiss and grime in a recording.  Unfortunately for the songs on this 7" the recording makes things, particularly the vocals, seem a little flat.  The good news is that these four songs are all so good, they cut through any production issues.

I can't speak for the band and say what their influences are, but they certainly seem to be taking cues from some bands from the 90's that I enjoy.  Superchunk is the easiest comparison to make, but to me I really hear elements of bands like Buford or Corduroy.  For a modern comparison, they make me feel the same way that bands like Hooper and Rumspringer do and that's some pretty great company.

It's a great introduction to the band especially as a primer for the full length.  I'll be reviewing it shortly, but as a spoiler I have no qualms at all with the recording quality on that one.

Notches - Huge 7":
https://notchesnh.bandcamp.com/album/huge-7