It is possible to attribute the success of grunge careerist David Grohl's Foo Fighters empire in his keeping the sound of '92 alive. By bottling, branding and retailing the ersatz Nirvana Seattle grit pop, today's audiences can take a museum tour aboard radio friendly trams while singing along to “Monkey Wrench” or “My Hero”. Somewhere in the mix we hear the underlying traces of Bleach, In Utero, and Nevermind in the crashing drums and remnants of that grunge guitar but only through the precautions of production harnessed by safety buckles.
With the safety belts and nets unbuckled, Ovlov premieres the track “Blue Baby” with a skronk that chases away the azure depths of any summer sky. Finding a home with Fat History Month, Speedy Ortiz, Pile, and more at Exploding In Sound Records; the Connecticut brothers of Steve, Theo and Jon Hartlett bring back the 90s grunge sound that never sold out with an attitude as if 1994 never happened.
The Hartlett brothers start it with a classic instrumental chord and percussion build up that marks the beginning of any epic headbanger. Frontman singer and songwriter Steve brings the sleepy delivery that carries on beneath the weight of the overhead guitar storm. The singing resounds like a live action letter being read aloud as written to a friend, where memories and thoughts float through a harmony hinged on the wings of thundrous, amplified distortion.
Like the song's front step introduction, the guitar and drum builds continue their move-up in both gain and volume, layering electric guitars like brick work blocks. Ascending through these levels, the master tumult of electric rain never ceases but encourages an interplay of whining guitar shreds and solos. In this blue heaven, everything is guided by the omnipresence of blaring chords in tones that combine all the Marshall stacks from Lollapalooza '92 into one towering inferno.
Ovlov's album Am comes out July 2 from Exploding in Sound Records.
Their tour kicks off tonight in Hamden, CT. See the following dates for details.
May
16 Hamden, CT – The Space with Anamanguchi, Infinity Shred
17 Boston, MA with Sneeze, Nice Guys, and more
18 Lowell, MA – Wilder Genecraft with Big Mess
19 Ithaca, NY – The Chapter House with Bombtree
20 Cleveland, OH – The Locker Room with The Rats Are Coming…
21 Kalamazoo, MI – The Corner Record Shop with radiator hospital and boring people
22 Chicago, IL – Neverland with my dad and the moses gun
23 Saint Paul, MN – The Elephant Graveyard with cantharone
24 Minneapolis, MN – Hexagon Bar with citroen and central division
25 Milwaukee, WI – Quarter's Roll n' Roll Palace with saturday night duets
26 Chesterton, IN – Sound Cellar with wounded knee
27 Columbus, OH
28 Lafayette, IN – A.N.T. Pharm with Derailer and White Reaper
29 Pittsburgh, PA – The Shit Brick with Oklahoma Car Crash & more
30 Philadelphia, PA – Hausu
31 New Brunswick, NJ – The Alamo
June
01 Brooklyn, NY – Big Snow with appomattox and miniboone
