Listening Club

Listening Club’s four song EP wanders through some hallowed halls of indie rock, memorializing the heroes of the genre. From Pavement’s jangly rhythm guitars to Sebadoh’s caustic leads, from the laid back vocal registers of Parquet Courts to the aggressive, clipped bark of early Modest Mouse, Listening Club concocts a sound agreeable to anyone who admires the late ‘90s/early ‘00s indie heyday. 

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Leadoff track “Wishing Well” wrings everything it can from a two-chord progression in its first half. Then it slickly twists into a slowdown, pounding like Pacific Northwest sludge and devolving into sublime noise and chaos. It’s a successful formula, but none of the remaining songs on EP follow it precisely. “Worn Out” also devolves into a slowdown coda, but it begins in a country punk vein and pummels its Social Distortion-esque melodies through unexpected chord progressions and bombastic leads, which makes the slowdown such an impactful juxtaposition. With a less aggressive treatment, “Curtains” could have been a twee pop gem. Instead it’s a slacker punk gem. Closer “Trees” shows restraint in both in tempo and register, bringing to mind Mark Lanegan’s underrated grunge group Screaming Trees. The track makes effective use of dynamics with a quiet/loud/quiet structure that underscores the comparison. 

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This recording feels less concerned with fidelity than energy, but its energy carries the show. The mix is well balanced, all the instruments audible and working in concert. The tones are precise if chaotic – I get the sense this recording doesn’t sound too dissimilar than a well-mixed live performance. It’s feedback heavy, lots of cymbal wash, and it rocks all the way through. These are musicians who know their instruments well enough to bend them to their style, rather than trying to fit their playing into a prescribed box. While they’re not necessarily covering new ground with their music, they’re covering it with everything they’ve got. The enthusiasm in Listening Club’s EP is infectious, and with that kind of motor, anything they play is going to hit.

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