Those Looks, 'Cults Near Me'
Cabin country music from the home of Bon Jovi and My Chemical Romance
A buddy from my Twitter days and appreciated subscriber of this Substack reports:
stumbled into a band’s release party last night. Band’s name is Those Looks
Those Looks, a NJ band signed to home state label Mint 400 Records (Neil Sabatino: “My core belief with the label is that I will not sign shit”), has an efficient talent lineup. Lead guitarist Sylvia Barrantes, guitarist Kelly Bolding, and bassist Randall Newman are all dually listed as vocalists on album Cults Near Me, released this past Friday. Drummer Shaun Ellis is Very Good.
Those Looks formed in 2018, released come unto me in 2019 “as a demo to get some local shows” and plays a lot of NJ and PA, but Cults Near Me puts Those Looks on the map as a band with more than enough talent to tour nationally and internationally, should they be interested. They claim “When we were first starting out, we weren’t super proficient on our instruments so we played everything really slowly” but I am genuinely surprised by this; Those Looks does sound like a millennial band not in a bad way, but sounds like they’ve been making music since childhood.
“Vertigo” starts with a classic rock band drum set, strum, and melody combo and leads into a familiar vocal opener. Later in the track the band settles into a slower Jackson Browne “Doctor My Eyes”-esque styling (certainly I suffer from listener’s bias having just listened per Kevin). I’m looking for some kind of music analysis engine that maps a song to what it might have been inspired by — ex. hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s — if anyone knows of something like this let me know.
“You Know Where” leans heavy on the dream wave but brings the listener out of unbridled trance with a clarity driven by exceptionally pure vocals, most noticeable in the lines:
Meet me at the water
Meet me in the night
Oh, meet me in the thunder
You know where
“What Did You Think Would Happen” opens with a rich but light keyboard backing and continues into one of the darker musical-lyrical juxtapositions of the album. Drums stay upbeat and guitar riffs stay largely major-keyed, vocals are gentle but “I was 18, I was a baby, what did you think would happen?” and:
I learned to drink the night I met you
Trying not to show
I was just playing at being someone
Someone like you would know
“What Did You Think Would Happen” shows us Those Looks is a brave band that deserves much more attention.
“Santa Ana (anymore)” is a solid track with familiar melodies inspired by ‘70s and maybe ‘80s hits that I can’t quite put my finger on. Subtle nods at prog rock come later with what sounds like an electronic synth. This particular technique is used so often by The War On Drugs I associate it with them — they didn’t invent it but every time I hear it I just think WOD. “Santa Ana (anymore)” is like WOD LaCroix, just a hint.
“Wasting My Life” is a fitting final track, best just listened to:
Thank you Corn for introducing us to this great band from New Jersey. They’ve stayed close to home all three years of their career as a local band, playing Trenton, NJ in December. Fingers crossed for a national tour soon.
Enjoyed Those Looks, LP Service...I'll check out their album. I heard a vague '70s-ish sound, as well, but tough to really pinpoint a definitive influence. A tad heavier Renaissance? A less-playful Blondie?
Responding to your open call for "looking for some kind of music analysis engine that maps a song to what it might have been inspired by — ex. hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s," I can't offer anything except my brain, that managed to hear a large majority of product, late '60s thru early '80s (thanks to my vast access to...and listening to...promotional copies of LPs that never got airplay...anywhere, and thus, lie completely unheard by most).
In fact, it's that resource which informs most of FR&B's "Inside Tracks," "Audio Autopsy," and "GROW BIGGER EARS." I know you could've lived without my coming here to dispense with shameless self-promotion, but feel free to pick my brain with such questions...sometimes I'm more reliable than Google! Catch me while I still have my long-term memory!
Back to your request, and sadly, more self-promo (but seemingly fitting to your previous request: Tomorrow (Monday 11/14) FR&B will be dropping a new article revealing (thru copious research and connecting musical and genre-specific threads) the seeds of disco.
Yes, the likely first song (released in the early '70s...specifics in the article!) that lit the fuse of the mid- thru late-'70s disco boom will be revealed! Documentation, evidence, and song files galore will accompany.
That may not answer your ultimate question (or come anywhere close), but short of providing an actual "music analysis engine" for an entire decade, I'm hoping to provide, at the very least, the ability to expose a thru-thread to subsequent disco hits from about 1974 onward with "The Birth of Disco Uncovered"! Hope you enjoy, and thanks again!