San Diego has always had a healthy garage rock scene. Starting off with bands like the Crawdaddys, Tell-Tale Hearts, The Unknowns, Morlocks, and then continuing on with The Loons, Junkies (RIP), and dozens of others. And don’t even get me started on Los Angeles with Thee Fourgiven, The Fuzztones, Pandoras, etc… and the newer bands like the Wyld Gooms, Night Times, and Sound Reasons. Of course, other cities have their own “’60s revival” scene too. Heck, every city probably has a whole subculture of bands playing this style of music. According to the uninitiated, they are all part of a ’60s garage rock “revival”. But can you really call it a “revival” if it’s been going on for over 40 years? This music has never gone away. It’s always been around.
This isn’t a fad, and the people in these bands are lifers. It’s in their blood. It’s their lifestyle. And Thee Allyrgic Reaction are no exception. I have seen these guys out all the time playing in other bands (primarily in The Loons and the Woggles), DJing, and in the audience enjoying the shows whenever other garage rock bands are playing. Well, they got together and formed Thee Allyrgic Reaction.
They did this album right. Many times, recordings of garage bands don’t really capture their essence. If you’ve never seen Thee Allyrgic Reaction live, this is pretty much what they sound like. I may even be as bold to say this album sounds even better than they have sounded most of the times I have seen them! Each track is crisp, without losing the rough-edged charm of their influences. And they’re certainly not shy about cranking up the fuzz! The songs are pure rockin’ garage. Yeah, as a band, they’re relatively new to the scene having been around for a little over 5 years, but with this album they are certainly contenders. Great job!
🎸🎸🎸🎸
Leave a Reply