Brandy

 

 

picture by Taylor Sesselman

 

Brandy is from New York City and has probably been around since 2017, so not so long.

But don't think these guys are newbies, in fact the three wannabe Lady Liberty already had quite a long list of loud and noisy acts on their criminal records before forming this new gang. Coming from the NYC low-fi garage punk (Pampers) and Chicago punkish noise-rock (Heavy Times, Running) scenes these guys' ears are not ringing for the first time.

 

 Laugh Track opens the band discography as a 11-track full length released by Monofonus Press in September 2018.

What immediately struck me with this album is the way the two musical sides of the trio's background are easily perceptible. You're A Dentist is a pure noise rock track, ok it starts a bit dirty and noisy and the lot sounds quite low-fi but these heavy bass lines, the stomping and repetitive drum patterns, the heavy guitar riffs... there is some Jesus Lizard nearby!

And Two Titles With a Slash (which are actually two tracks which could be one) is super noise rock too man! And don't get me wrong, I love it! It's heavy, full of screeching noises and stomping riffs while the vocals sound like a kid drowning in a toilet bowl.

 

 

  And in the end the comparison with Mayyors actually makes sense here (less crazy vocals I would say).

The arrival of a tambourine on Horse Chorus starts switching the atmosphere to something more rock'n roll, closer to some low-fi heavy garage punk or something like that... And that's the feeling I now get on Life Jail, Throw Out My Kitchen... but it kinda changes again on the super heavy but efficient Urgent Blowout which is a real ode to destructive urges... All this chaos is finally concluded by Blandy, a pure rock'n roll song, turning into a beast the nice and cool 70s American rock...

Yes Brandy manages beautifully to edge between these two worlds, leaving me a bit confused but happy and... that's great!

Brandy delivers a heavy and intense LP full of low-fi noise-rockish punk garage (or the other way??) that will not leave you unmoved... 

(And I love the cover artwork by the way) 

April 2019, Brandy releases Clown Pain, a new 7" on Total Punk.

After Laugh Track the band from NYC could sound like a surprising choice for the label from Florida.

But not at all actually! Brandy has evolved and is now a pure punk'n roll garage band, one of those that Total punk loves so much.

 

   Quite low-fi but catchy, Brandy has left on the side its noise rock roots and totally embraced the sound of the label. Urochromes, Golden Pelicans and Foster Care (which first LP on Total Punk is as fantastic as the second one is disappointing by the way) opening for them at their 7" release show could not be a clearer confirmation of their new "artistic direction".

And it is not a bad news at all! I mean they do it very well, these two songs are great!

But ok I regret a little bit the heaviness of the early days... 

 

September 2020: another cool artwork for the cover of The Gift Of Repetition, the band second full length and first LP on Total Punk Records. 

Damn I love to be surprised and this release is pleasing me a lot! I was expecting a longer version of Clown Pain and what we got here is just so much more than that, it's amazing!

Within 8 tracks (only...) Brandy is giving us a great lesson of rock'n roll... exploring the best components of the genre, the NYC band takes us back to the early days of punk (Dangle with its great late-70s-in-england vibe), the post-punk / new-wave times (Christmas Colors) but most of all delivers great rock/punk songs like I'm Shipping Up To Boston (which does not seem to have any link with the Woody Guthrie / Dropkick Murphys song, Text Home or Insane Screensaver!

 

Listen to the super catchy (Wish You Was) Madball Baby or UFO's To Heaven and dare telling me you don't see yourself spilling your beer all over your boots while shaking your butts like crazy in front of the stage!

This catchiness reminds me of Giuda (in a less glam and kitchy way of course) or some early Hives songs for some parts. 

 

   And Clown Pain got recorded again and sounds catchy as ever as well!

 

In a nutshell Brandy is delivering a very surprising and extremely good rock-punk album which will most likely be on my 2020 top in a few months!

 

 

 

N,J'Oi!  

 

 

You can listen to Brandy on Rien à Faire #8 and #14. 

 

 

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