Let’s drop some names. Spiral Heads are from Brooklyn and feature Jim Carroll (American Nightmare, The Hope Conspiracy, The Suicide File), Simon Doom (Amazing Baby; also a touring member of MGMT and Modest Mouse) and Q (aka Michael Quartulli of Doomriders). Their new album ‘Til I’m Dead is produced by the legendary Walter Schreifels (Youth Of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, Rival Schools etc.), and oh, The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn helped out with the lyrical arrangements.
Now, with a lineup like that, the pressure’s on, right? Rest assured, this new Spiral Heads LP is a case of cool people creating cool music. In a sense, that starts with the album art, which looks like a neon-black-and-white mashup of ’80s hardcore, post punk and new wave records and fonts. And the music? It’s like they’ve taken the tasty bits of ’80s new wave, ’90s alt-pop, and alt-rock, and thrown in a dash of late ’70s punk for good measure. Spiral Heads have a sweet tooth and a pop heart and it meshes well with their musical talent.
‘Til I’m Dead isn’t just about good vibes and strong melodies though. The record captures the mixed emotions and existential dread of the pandemic era. Yet, somehow, there’s a sense of joy underneath — a celebration of friendship and a homage to musical roots.
‘Til I’m Dead is out now on Academy Fight Songs & Trash Casual.
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