POP.1280 - "Bedbugs" 7 inch single (self released)

  

   New York's POP.1280 (named after the Jim Thompson novel, haha..) graciously give us two very uneasy,pulverizing downer rock jams, and boy are they good.These guys are going to be making some waves in the recent post-goth/punk/whatever underground soon,for sure.And rightly so.
 This band gave me a heavy and sleazy Pissed Jeans kind of vibe right away,which made my ears perk up big time.A really similar brooding bass crawl, slow and sturdy tom-toms thudding away in syncopation, and soon enough their hypnotic guitar treatments start to ring in,with a riff that's painfully similar to something off of Hope for Men.A compliment indeed.Not to say that POP.1280 are some PJ knockoff act,not in anyway.But the similarities are kind of obvious.The vocals are clear and painful,muttered tales about bedbugs crawling on you in your sleep,(hence the title: Bedbugs) and the corporate cluster fuck that is Times Square..Both being equally bogus epidemics,in my opinion..and these dudes apparently have the same outlook on the subject.

  The b-side ups the tempo a bit,as well as dynamics with a tune blatantly called "Times Square",in which the singer goes on a brutal rant about all of the things that make that nightmarish place so awful...or amazing.Depends how you look at it.The rhythm section is wired tight on this one,and brings an early Amp-Rep sound to mind.Heavy on the guitar treatments,and a venomous vocal barrage topple over some rather punishing drum patterns.All in all,a pretty cohesive little record,considering it's only two songs,and I am keeping my eye on this band for sure.They are currently working on their debut LP for Sacred Bones,and have a split 7" with Hot Guts on Badmaster right now.Get on it.
MJO