You know you shouldn’t expect innocence from a band that names their sophomore LP Kick It Over. And sure enough, Cincinnati quintet Motorbike play with a chip on their shoulder—or at least they sound like they do. The band includes members of Vacation, Corker, and The Drin and is fronted by a singer from Wales, which explains the accent.
From the strong opening salvo of Scrap Heap and Currency, Motorbike sounds like the North American counterpart to Australia’s Civic. Though less frantic, they are loud and love their guitar riffs. Particularly in the first half of the record, Kick It Over feels like a modern update of MC5 and Thin Lizzy, crafted by musicians raised on punk rock. The hooky garage rocker Afraid of Guns comes with some late ’70s pop-punk vibes and is another highlight.
The second half sees Motorbike experimenting with different textures and moods in a trilogy of songs, starting with the outlier Gears Never Dry, the Parquet Courts-esque Quite Nice, and the dark post-punk track Nie Wrócimy. By shifting gears, Motorbike keeps things fresh, dodging monotony while keeping both themselves and listeners engaged.
Pretty classic stuff if you ask me. Kick It Over is out now on Feel It Records.