Tough Age

S/t

Mint

LP $16.00

11/12/2013 773871015014

MRL 150

CD $13.00

11/12/2013 773871015021

MRD 150 CD

MP3 $9.90

11/12/2013 773871015021

Tough Age is culmination-rock, the sound of four radical adults with shared decades of experience, chops and killer record collections coming together to create charismatic, idiosyncratic pop songs for the ages. Following the dissolution of Vancouver’s beloved surf-punks Korean Gut, frontman Jarrett K. (also a member of Apollo Ghosts, Role Mach and too many more bands to list) cherry-picked a stacked lineup for his next project. Penny “Agamemnon” Clark provides a jangly drone-wash of guitar and backup vocals, Lauren Smith holds down the low end with beating-heart bass-lines, and drummer Chris Martell (Sightlines, Collapsing Opposites, and last seen with K. in a Minutemen cover band) rounds out the dream team.
For their stated sonic inspirations, the band is quick to whip off a laundry list of musical heroes from lo-fi godfathers Guided By Voices to the New Zealand fuzz-pop of Toy Love, The Clean and Bird Nest Roys. They also dig deep into Canadian garage 45s of the ’60s from names like The Townsmen, The Jury and The Ferraris of Canada. Heck, there might even be a dash of Tommy James and the Shondells, plus the cartoon bubblegum of The Archies, Groovie Ghoulies and Ohio Express. Yummy yummy!
Tough Age tapped fellow Mint Records signee Jay Arner for the production of their debut LP, and the results are immaculate. Emerging from the gritty basement recordings of previous projects, these golden-hued tunes mix head-rush rippers, swoon-worthy slow jams and hooks for days. Offsetting the barbwire riffs of “We’re Both to Blame,” the beach-blanket bingo of “Open It Up” and frenetic fills of “Cocaine Vouchers,” the band slows things down with the stop-start rhythm of “Have You Seen Her,” the paisley-pop jangle of “Seahorse” and the soda-shop romance of “The Heart of Juliet Jones.” For fans of timeless songwriting from an off-kilter filter, it doesn’t get much better than this.