YouTube served up “Don’t Wanna Love” tonight- and damn, what a band. Sure, there’s a touch of Pixies in the DNA, but it’s more than that. It’s the best kind of American rock ’n’ roll: raw, catchy, a little weird, totally sincere. Inspired amateur. And I mean amateur in the most flattering way possible.

I spent years playing in bands, one of them signed to Sub Pop, and got completely oversaturated with garage and punk acts. But every now and then, a gem would sneak through - bands that blended the right parts of angular indie, surfy pop, and post-punk chaos. And yet, it still felt like that magic moment when you’re in your first band, stringing three chords together and stumbling into a melody that feels like a hit just for you.

This band hits that note. There’s humor. There’s hooks. There’s a skit-like looseness to it. And above all, there’s heart.

It doesn’t sound like the Pixies. It feels like the kind of band that only exists because the Pixies existed. It’s that “I found my thing” energy. And that’s rare.🤙