This Is Glue
Trouble In Mind
2018
Rating: 8.5 St. Bernard puppies out of 10
There was something comforting and familiar about Salad Boys upon the very first listen, but I had no idea why. After a modicum of research (aka I googled their name), it was immediately obvious – they’re from New Zealand. I don’t mean to lump all acts from that country together, because certainly there is some variance (Lorde, Flight Of The Conchords, I'm sure there's a weird white rapper from there that people like), but in the indie world there is a definitive Flying Nun/Kiwi rock sound that so many of these acts put off, even if they don't mean to. It’s got the jangle and hooks that most think of with that scene (see the Clean, the Bats, the 3ds, the etc.), but there’s an additional element here that I can’t quite put my finger on…at times they’re a type of upbeat that makes you think of a pop-punk band that traded in their SGs for Telecasters – the tracks “Psych Slasher” and “Choking Stick” are particularly strong examples of this.
“This Is Glue” is an early contender for album of the year right now, but obviously there is a lot of time to go. I'm not sure Salad Boys are adding anything new or unique to this particular sound or the world at large, but they've written the shit out of some catchy songs I want to keep listening to again and again. Trouble In Mind have rewarded me yet again for listening to one of their artists without knowing a damn thing about them going in.
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