If you’re looking for the sonic equivalent of a leather jacket that actually fits and doesn’t smell like a thrift store basement, look no further than the self-titled masterpiece from Los Angeles, California’s Uni Boys. These guys have managed to resurrect the ghost of 1979 power pop without making it feel like a tacky séance… it’s all the jangly, high-energy glory of the classic era, but with a “right now” polish that makes you wonder if they’ve mastered time travel. Tracks like “I Don’t Wanna Dream Anymore”, “Maybe I’m Wrong”, “Want You Back”, “Victim of Myself”, or even the album closer “Without a Broken Heart”, hit hard with that specific brand of sugary heartbreak and infectious hooks that usually require a prescription, proving that Noah Nash and Reza Matin are mad scientists of the three-minute pop song. It’s the kind of record that makes you want to quit your job, buy a vintage Rickenbacker, and start a band in a garage that definitely doesn’t have enough ventilation.
The experience of spinning this album is remarkably similar to what I’m doing right now, which is inhaling a meatball sub from Rosati’s. As the sauce drips onto my shirt in a way that is both tragic and delicious, I’m hit with a wave of nostalgia for the best meals I had years ago living in Chicago. Just like that sub, the Uni Boys deliver a deeply familiar flavor rooted in the DNA of bands like The Toms, Shoes, or even, at times, Big Star, but with a definite upgrade for the modern palate. It’s vintage comfort food served with high-definition clarity. If you enjoy music that sounds like it was recorded on analog gear by people who actually know how to play their instruments (a radical concept, I know), then you really have no excuse not to have this on repeat. It’s the best of the past, served fresh, and significantly less messy than this kick ass meatball sub. Just pick up this record! It is one of the best releases of the year.
Links to check out:
https://uniboys.bandcamp.com/album/uni-boys
https://curationrecords.com/collections/cured051
https://www.instagram.com/uni.boyss/