Since March of 2018, Loud Humans have amassed a steadily growing arsenal of bittersweet indie rock tunes, based mostly around the songwriting of singer and guitar player Jimmy Ether.
The trio, rounded about by underground rock scene vets Ether (the Ether Family Presents, Spiral, and Monkey Boy) alongside bass player Dain Johnson (the Plastic Plan), and drummer Kip Thomas (Fiddlehead, Freemasonry, Chocolate Kiss, Haricot Vert, and more) has fleshed out a florid lo-fi charge by pressing pretty and folksy chord progressions through a wall of sound. Case in point: “Charm Offensive.”
“I use a few alternate tunings in the vein of Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, or Jimmy Page’s acoustic riffs, and we fuzz them out,” Ether says.
“Charm Offensive” offers the first look at Loud Human’s forthcoming EP, which remains a work in progress. The title of the EP is yet to be determined, and “Charm Offensive,” as it appears here, is a raw early mix—the group playing live in the studio with a vocal overdub.
“The new EP is kind of a part 2 to our see, lioning. EP,” Ether adds.
Here, his voice carries a bold and unpolished presence as he careens through dynamic, energetic lyrics that are driven home by a sense of urgency that’s reminiscent of Guided By Voices’ vocalist Robert Pollard.
Johnson and Thomas’s rhythms move at the speed of post-punk and indie rock a la Sebadoh, Mission of Burma, fIREHOSE, and the Wipers.
In the interest of full disclosure, Thomas is the publisher of Record Plug Magazine, the DIY music rag that keeps this writer’s voice in the mix.
All three members of Loud Humans also play in the band Victory Hands alongside Shawn Christopher, crafting a darker, heavier noise rock dirge.
Both Loud Humans’ see, lioning. EP and the forthcoming EP are tentatively slated to appear as flip sides of a 12-inch release that’s due out later in 2024. The proper digital release will most likely arrive in May.
In the meantime, press play above and catch their set headlining Radfest at Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery on Friday, January 19.
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