altre di B – Big Boi
In “Almost Famous,” one of the definitive movies about the flory and ridiculousness of rock bands, the arena-filling group has just one requirement from the young journalist following them around. They just want him to make them look cool. Everything else (concepts, playing, how much money they get) is beside the point.
Sure, most bands want to look cool. But the problem is that the vast majority are also scared of looking stupid. That’s quite a shame and really counterproductive because a. People tend to do stupid things very often and b. Rock’ n’ roll was never designed as an art form for university teachers and art critics. It’s all pretty silly stuff, as are most of our daily problems.
altre di B’s “Big Boi,” is incredibly satisfying, silly rock n’ roll. It will, no doubt, remind some listeners of bands like FIDLAR. Like their American counterparts, altre di B sound constantly overstimulated and energized, yet write songs about worries, anxiety, and habits that they simply cannot kick. Not that this affects the sounds being played. altre di B are cartoonish, over-the-top, and a whole lot of fun.
Sr. – High & Dry
People like to wax lyrically about the punk-rock bands of old. And, seemingly, the more obscure a band was, or the more connected to a particular cause they happened to be, the more worthy they were of praise. Punk Buddhists, vegans, and left-wing thinkers of the 1990s are all worth investigating. But we shouldn’t live off memories, should we?
If punk music and the attitude behind it taught us anything, it is that the time to do something is right now, and no approval is ever required. At its best, punk is a philosophy about focusing on what you want to do and say without getting too carried away with useless details. It’s about giving it your all without expecting much in return. This simple idea can, after all, be applied to all matters of life.
Sr. may operate within the thriving, beloved pop-punk space. But the band isn’t trying to live off the past, but rather live in the moment. They take the same principles and apply them to their work and to their love life. “High & Dry” is a confession of disappointment but also a promise of doing one’s very best in a difficult situation. Once you’ve done that, there ain’t really much more to ask, and Sr., in their way, are looking toward their future and the future of punk music.
