Bingo Boys “Freak Out and Leave”
Indianapolis punk band Bingo Boys returns with retro angsty fourth album. Freak Out and Leave is a collection of ‘90s-sounding garage punk tracks pumping through in one set. Raged with a distorted sonic palettes, cooked in punchy fast pace, Freak Out and Leave tackles themes from boredom, dissatisfaction to failure and other problems that a young person can easily relate to. Taking place in the midst of an intense discussion between the self and the rest of the world, Freak Out and Leave is in the midst of chaos and passion, beaming authenticity.
Eccentric and flaming, Freak Out and Leave never runs out of sparks. From dark distortion and illusive vocals sprawling in noise-coiled grunge atmosphere to high-contrast abstract mind-daze to heavy-hitting headbangers, the album reminds you everything about the 90s bands you grew up listening. Rebellious and unapologetic, having issues but never compromise—their music has an edge, an attitude that you love and hate.
From guitar to vocals to production, Freak Out and Leave sees the maturity of their craft, but rest assure, no creative direction has been changed. They are just getting better at being themselves. Everything that lives and breathes in their music is even more alive in their fourth album.
The Vanities ‘2001’
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The Vanities Deliver Fierce Retro Album ‘2001’
Photo credit: Craig Oats
The retro vibe in 2001 is charged with madness and passion that simply sounds so timeless. Citing their inspirations and loves from 90s grunge and 80s synth-pop, the electro-pop duo, The Vanities gives you goosebumps, reliving the glorious time in an elevating modern production in which they explore themes of love and war, madness and mortality.
The album opener, “Dropping a Bomb” instantly spirals down the timeline and takes you into a different flow of time. The poised captivity and heating vibe permeate your sensation and send you a familiar yet brand-new invite into The Vanities’s sonic vortex.
Spinning and splashing electronics vibrates in the air like a disco light. Featuring a jazzy saxophone in the intersession, the track has a flavorful expression that isn’t bound to definition or genres.
Adhering to the grand, warm sonics, The Vanities showcase emotive storytelling through written and unwritten words. Working with sonic symbolism and imageries, 2001 gives you something different in each and every song.
“Love is the News” surrounds you with magnificent call and response in the vocals. “Stars” has the light hopefulness and glistening distance embedded into its electrifying soundscapes.
“This Ain’t Love” echoes “Love is the News” in a more evocative, vulnerable manner with a soaring, freely-improvising saxophone in the background. “London” deepens the emotional expression with intimate and dark contrasts.
Written by Katrina Yang