First Impressions are whiz-bang reviews of singles, 7″s, EPs, and LPs which are given a review after a single listen. This is a great way for TGEFM to showcase some of the releases which may not get a full review on their own.
Wild Honey Records, 27 Jan 2023
When I saw a lead for a band called Yonic South, I just couldn’t resist checking it out. Doubly so when I noticed the song name as “Mark Mothersbaugh Alterego”. The Italian band are new to me, though they have a couple other releases showing on Bandcamp. This song comes from the upcoming 6-song release Devo Challenge Cup, a Devo tribute of sorts that arrives 03 Feb 2023 via Wild Honey Records and reportedly includes a cover of Devo’s “The Girl U Want”, a Blink 182 reference, and lots of video game easter eggs.
As for the song at hand, “Mark Mothersbaugh Alterego” is a restless garage punk nugget. The guitars have a lot of dirty fuzz as they play a nervy riff. The drums and bass rip along without looking back and the entire chaotic din just feels good. The vocal phrasings sound on the verge of paranoid during verses and is memorably hooky throughout. And then during the final minute, the Devo-tribute part of the song really shines through with a repetitive pairing of notes mocking each other and coming across as a little otherworldly, finally downshifting into a simmering build-up that never releases, only ends. I like this song a lot.
- Song Comes From: Devo Challenge Cup
- Album Release Date: 03 Feb 2023
- Purchase/Pre-Order/Pre-Save: Bandcamp
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ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
