Formed in 2009 and featuring members of Hepcat Dilemma, Special Ed, Fuzzy Comets, and A.T.S., this Pittsburgh quartet finally follows up their 2010 debut You Can’t Drink All Day Unless You Start in the Morning; according to the band, the album had been “percolating for nearly a decade” before they began recording it in 2022. Though the concept of the LP’s first half mini-rock opera Audrey’s Fever — a woman achieves her dream to fly after a chance meeting with Andy Warhol — is silly, the story comes alive thanks to the electrifying vocals of Melissa Ippolito, whose vivacious, syllable-stretching warble blends Kristin Hersh, Grace Slick, Liza Minnelli, and The Bellrays’ Lisa Kekaula.
Guitarist/keyboardist Bob Loiselle, bassist Evan Knauer, and drummer Byron Glatz match her with spirited music, from jangle pop (“The Aeriel Life”) to jazz-noir (“By the Neon Stop Sign”) to prog (“Burden (Audrey’s Song))” to soul/R&B (“It’s a Good Thing I’m Not Afraid of Heights”) to folk rock (“Between Luck and Blame”) to show tunes (the aptly-titled “Broadway”) to Americana (“Heaven’s Not Enough”), making it feel like you’re watching a riveting stage play.
Junk Fingers: Bandcamp
Rat on a Stick Records: Website
