Good friends Joe Whalen (vocals, guitars) and Tom Smallcomb (drums) have been part of the northern Pennsylvania music scene for years, mostly with cover bands, but under the moniker of Shiny Giant – a hobby project – they now also bring their own songs. On their debut EP Slacker Logic – great title – you can hear the first six tasters of what they are capable of. At my request, songwriter Joe explains how the tunes came about: “Each individual track is recorded from start to finish in one take directly into an old Zoom 16 track recorder, with no edits or computer tricks. The idea is to have a raw, live-sounding recording. The songs themselves are all based on things I’ve experienced in my lifetime and topics include bad decisions, failing relationships, mental health issues, depression, and fast women, hahaha.” This process has led to to these lo-fi and primitive yet energetic basement rock hits, relatable both musically and lyrically, somewhat reminiscent of JEFF The Brotherhood in their Heavy Days period. The expression ‘slacker logic’ is one to remember (I guess it’s the realization that life has no rationale that you can control, without making a problem of it), and this band is one to keep an eye on.
Slacker Logic is out now digitally and on CD (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp