I Was Totally Destroying It – Preludes (Greyday)

(I know that this came out way back in April but I have only just heard it.)

Initially, Preludes was a collection of shelved material that I Was Totally Destroying It guitarist/vocalist John Booker had backlogged for as long as seven years and didn’t feel fit in with the collaborative effort that their new album was to be. But after wanting to have an EP to bridge between albums, the band went back and reworked some tracks until it grew into a whole other full-length. The result is a hook-heavy, super listener-friendly rock sound that hits instantly. Think: poppier Superchunk? There are even a bit of ’80s undertones that maybe are only apparent to me. Vocalist/keyboardist Rachel Hirsh’s voice recalls hints of Belinda Carlisle (huge crush on her as a kid) as well as Cristina Scabbia (huge crush on her now) of goth metal band Lacuna Coil, and is especially transcendent when she is harmonized by Booker. I won’t lie. There were goosebumps. Her highlights are certainly and “They Key & The Rose,” and “Control,”. Booker’s voice is harder to nail down as the only comparison I can make is that if “Weird Al” Yankovic took singing seriously. His best moments include “Wrecking Ball,” and “Out Tonight,”. The album really excels with its most rocking moments. The vocal interplay reaches its biggest heights on “Control,” and “Regulators,” and there is even a bit of funhouse keyboard from Hirsh taken from The New Pornographers‘ playbook. This cache of extra songs turns out to be a treasure trove. There is so much to enjoy and if this is just the prelude, there is so much more to look forward to.

Regulators