Boulevard Trash, July 11, 2020
The Uppers do some catchy power pop garage rock things on their debut.
St. Louis, Missouri’s The Uppers have been around since 2017, but aside from a demo, they’ve been relatively quiet. Get Down With… is their new release, an EP chock full of power pop hooks and garage-y energy and rawness.
Get Down With… offers up four songs, each a little different from the others, but clearly cut from the same cloth. Opener “Oh Boy” feels spring-loaded with an energy that really draws out the cool hook on the chorus, with the vocals carrying a melody that sinks its teeth in. Thin guitars and nice leads pull the song through and I end up being reminded of The Boys, or maybe The Real Kids. “To Be A King” follows suit, coming off as euphoric. This one’s got some more great guitar lead and some rad vocal hooks, this time reminding me a bit more of D Generation. And a couple of my favorite parts on the record happen when the bass elbows its way in, driving the guitars away for a brief respite. These two are probably my favorite on Get Down With…
The second half of the record sees The Uppers mostly keeping up the pace. “In Love (With Myself)” has a bunch of sass and snot and reminds me a little of early New York Dolls, playing around with a groove and some heavy pop accents at the end of the verses. And the guitar riff on the bridge nails it – it’s just simple cool goodness. Closer “Bad Dog Pound” is some filthy power pop with decent guitars, loose hi-hats, cool “ah-ooh” backing vocals, and even some falsetto vocals that catch me off guard, but kind of work. It’s a pretty decent rock and roll song and I like it okay, but it does go on a bit long for my stunted attention span and is probably my least favorite on Get Down With…
The Uppers are a band to keep an eye on. File Get Down With… next to records like The Boys, The Real Kids, Born Innocent, and even Too Much Too Soon, or alongside more recent types like Hit After Hit or Can Do Easy. If that sounds like your kind of thing, this is worth a shot.
You might like this if:
- You’re into early punk and power pop with some grime and hooks for days
You might not if:
- You don’t like thin, raw, hooky power pop punk rock
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
