Tropical Finasteride is the debut full-length of the new punk project of Sam Treber (Short Fictions), based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Some albums feel determined to chase the algorithm, this one happily ignores it: “Harkening to the golden age of blog-era Brooklyn, Compandas aims to renaissance a joyful DIY sound that the world seems to have traded for delusions of making it.” How does that turn out?
In eight quirky tracks, cinematic spoken word fragments and confident vocals explore pop-culture overload and the contradictions of modern life, partly politically charged and partly driven by offbeat humor. It is set to fuzzy guitars, toy keyboards, and glockenspiel melodies, a mix of indie rock styles that were popular about 20 years ago, captured in an unpolished production that could have come from an old laptop hard drive.
Who takes the time will hear a chaotic and unfiltered but surprisingly thoughtful record, shifting between playful hooks and heavier themes, recalling an era that actually wasn’t that bad.
Tropical Finasteride is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Lauren Records.