I remember being bowled over by just how great “Telepathetic,” my first taste of bikethrasher, was not so long ago. I think I waxed lyrical about how hypnotic and melodic their music is, how they take a sort of underground approach to song crafting and, rather than go for the apparent rock riff sucker punch, instead weave intricate and exquisite washes and waves of music which are actually more impactful, and certainly more memorable than your average rock Joes, and of course, Josephines. And if I didn’t, I should have.
Well, now we have an EP, four songs, and a chance to see what their music world really sounds like rather than making assumptions based on this one single.
It’s fair to say that their world is a place of exploration and adventure. Although you could say that bikethrasher’s music falls into a broadly underground and alternative rock style, they are happy to push those boundaries to see just how far they will stretch.
“Picture Day” is one of those louche and languid slices of college rock that loops and lollops along, employing that classic loud/quiet sonic device that always makes for excellent dynamic shockwaves. “Cupcake” is the sound of a grunge band playing pop-punk (or vice versa) and there is definitely the echo of that “Mrs Robinson” bass riff that The Lemonheads lodged permenantly in the brains of every one listening to alternative music in the nineties. Things end with “Fear,” which wanders between Chilli Pepper’s intricacies and thrashed (naturally) sub-metal guitars to intoxicating effect.
I hoped that “Telepathetic” wouldn’t be a one-off, but I didn’t quite expect how creative, how great, and rhow utterly refreshing bikethrasher would prove to be. Today is a good day indeed.
PS: I’ve just noticed that they are from Boston, that explains everything!
