Bullseye

***"Imagine if Gene Clark never made it to L.A. He never chased fast cars and rubbed elbows with guys who make organic massage tables and build hot tubs into the sides of redwoods. And he never got so wasted that his talent proved increasingly elusive. Instead, he held it together in the Midwest and made beer-sipping music for a bunch of ham-and-eggers who don’t know they’re about to hit the skids as the belt begins to rust. Bullseye conjures such a reality.

The NYC-via-Minnesota quartet craft flawless, roots-tinged jangle-pop that recalls not only the aforementioned Clark and all the other Byrds, too, but a few other legendary 'B' bands: Big Star, Buffalo Springfield, Blue Ash, gBv. And while certainly not sonically aligned, let’s throw in the Beat Happening, at least as far as Bullseye’s similarly admirable commitment to a burgeoning new DIY-pop underground is concerned. There are some Anglo-isms here as well, but this is very much American music. Not Americana, mind you. There’s no mawkish nostalgia in the band’s twangy, hook-laden rock, even if they know who came before them.

Repping a classic two-guitar/bass/drums line-up are Oliver, Clara, Humberto, and frontman and principal songwriter Jake Barczak. Yeah, Bullseye is Brooklyn-based, but songs like 'Dangers of the Heart' and 'Get Started' are for joy rides that take in both the Northern Lights and the Rio Grande. That’s the kind of expanse we’re talking about here.

This 6-song self-titled release available on the superior 12-inch EP format is a testament to the idea that smart songwriting, a little grit (those guitars!), and a lot of heart (everything else) are as eternally affecting as complete reinvention. These are songs that’ll keep you starry-eyed and laughing long past the end of days."—Nate K (WFMU)