Something Sneaky Photo credit: Stevie George
The music of Something Sneaky has always existed somewhere between here and there. Back in the mid-2010s, the Boston band and its noisy post-grunge indie-punk sound balanced a presence between the city’s network of DIY basement spaces and house shows and the more visible bars and rock clubs, coming off as perhaps a little too hectic for the laid-back indie rock crowd and a little too accessible for the underground scene, all while absorbing the attention of both.
But casual flirtations with various scenes and circles around Boston has allowed the band to exist in its own lane and create music on their terms and timelines, and on Friday, May 29, Something Sneaky return at maximum volume with a raucous new EP titled Old Notes. The record release party goes down later that night at Deep Cuts in Medford, for a spirited and lively bill alongside Cherubhead and Luddites.
The boisterous EP is led by brazen focus track “Hole Foods,” which The Big Takeover is exclusively premiering today. It’s a crunchy, frenetic guitar rock banger that slings its melodic noise ease and hits on just one of the spectrum of styles strewn across the record. “Hole Foods” shows off the band’s penchant for a layered sound that’s both confrontational and consuming, and that plays out across the EP where themes of getting older, life’s ability to change and stay the same all at once, and consumerism and the current state of the work environment run rampant.
As a band, Something Sneaky, a group of multi-generational South Shore friends composed of Justin Iacovino (vocals, guitar, keys), Jeremy Iacovino (drums); Chris Casserly (bass); and Jesse George (guitar), isn’t too keen on over-explaining the meaning of the songs they create, but there are some hints that provide a bit of a lyrical compass through the EP’s 20 minutes.
“Each song is a bit of its own story, but there are some repeated themes of ocean tides, gravity, and waves,” Justin Iacovino admits. “There are multiple ‘relationships’ throughout the EP but not always between people – sometimes music or drugs or anxiety.”
The punchy and riff-heavy “Hole Foods” showcases what Something Sneaky do best, combining melodic hard rock that’s gripping from the first note, with synth, post-rock, and post-hardcore elements swirling throughout for a whirlwind of sound.
Elsewhere, EP opener “Stevie’s Here” barges out of the gate with a heavy indie rock propulsion and ’80s dance style drums that’s both jangly and grounded, and the high-energy track may be the only time the band encroaches on a love story in the lyrics. The soaring and emotive “Gold Notes” emits a musical positivity that belies its darker lyrics. “Depressure (Buried Dust)” takes on an atmospheric mood as it daydreams through shoegaze territory, and droning post-rock EP closer “Stoner Kids” puts an exclamation point on a varied and kaleidoscopic record where the guitars fuel this controlled sonic chaos.
“When writing lyrics, there are real themes in there, but sometimes there are multiple, parallel themes that evolve to cover a wider area, and not always a central story,” Iacovino says. “I rarely have an explanation for what a song is exactly about – it’s just not my writing style. Ian Mackaye used to say something along the lines of ‘we print the lyrics, you can read those, but the only real meaning is what the song means to you.’ I’ve been inspired over the years by bands like Pinback, who have talked about choosing words that phonically/sonically fit – almost like another instrument.”
“Hole Foods,” however, does have a bit of a backstory, and it aligns with Something Sneaky’s songwriting ethos. “I will say though, that the lyrics came about after recalling a wedding I attended,” Iacovino shares. “Extremely sleep deprived after some really late nights, I found myself consumed with paranoia during the reception. This was sort of the jumping off point for a high-energy song, which ultimately touches on themes of music and film industry issues.”
New music on the way? Pitch Big Takeover Exclusives.
