Snap!! Records, July 3, 2020
Slightly askew power pop is the name of the game on The Cudas 4-Speed EP.
Cape Town, South Africa’s The Cudas love their power pop. The newly released 4-Speed EP is loaded with hooks and singalong moments. But they aren’t mere imitators. On 4-Speed, they play around with fuzzed-out guitars that add just a little edge to the proceedings, setting them apart from their power pop brethren.
4-Speed opener “Cheap Trick” comes out of the gates reminding a bit of the great Fountains of Wayne. Working with quickie hi-hats and some really fuzzy guitars, the song pops. Dueling guitar leads and both the lead vocal hooks and the backing harmonies are pretty spot on. And my favorite moment on the song (and probably my favorite on the record) is maybe the slight guitar bit that accents around the minute-ten mark. The song’s got dynamics and lots of singalong spots and asks the important question “can I join Cheap Trick?”. It’s really good. “Kids Want Hits” is another stunner that hits you over the head with hooks and pops. The drums positively snap, crackle, and pop as the song bounces along towards a hook-laden chorus. It’s more great power pop.
The closer, “TV Is Cool Again”, changes things up a little, going a little more traditional and sounding a bit more like a 60’s throwback than anything else on here. On “TV”, the guitars have a more gentle, ringing feel to them, eschewing the fuzz found on much of 4-Speed. They toss in some great vocal hooks on the chorus and gussy it all up with some tasteful synths for good measure. Nice change of pace, good song.
And while those three songs are all really good fun, the second song, “Call In Sick (Forever)”, throws me off a bit. It’s got a lot of the elements that can work: cool stuttered guitars on the bridge, Rentals-sounding synths. But the song just never lands quite right for me. The melodies are okay, but they really sort of throw me off throughout the song. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s my least favorite on here, never reaching the heights of the other three songs.
All in all, 4-Speed shows a promising young band with a fairly unique sound and some real songwriting talent. Certainly a band to keep an eye on.
You might like this if:
- You like power pop and catchy hooks and sunshine and a bit of fuzz
You might not if:
- You’ve already got your fill of summer sunshine pop for the year
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
