By Mo Kelly
The guys of Burglary Years attend as many shows as they do play them, which is a pretty high number. With members in Boston bands like Lovechild and Yeehaw!—and what seems like an ever-evolving mix of dedicated side projects—Greg, Cooper, Dane, Pat and Zach cover a lot of musical ground. And while we’re at it, a lot of ground in general. Zach, for one, is always on his bicycle.
If you asked any bandmate to estimate their time getting 100 Roses’ nine tracks ready to share, they’d tell you three years. Even the less active music fans among us would meet that kind of response with a raised eyebrow. Three years is a long time for anything. How long did you stay at your last job?
Three years of work and it’s yours to hear, tapping into an approach of jangly guitars and bounding percussion that pleads for attention but somehow plays it cool. Not that the album lacks detail by any means. With its thundering open comes thresholds of glittering instrumentals to get lost in, from the infectious false-optimism of “Hey, Do You Wanna Come Over?” to a perfect slice of silence in the midst of “Ghostwriter’s” shoegaze entanglement. Hear it all below:
Though alt rock to boot, some of 100 Roses most blissful moments come when full blown cynicism meets high-flying riffs and swaying basslines. “Sour” has an impossibly infectious, almost surfy feel, and just might be a standout track among a pretty solid eight others. It’s here frontman Greg Cook’s vocals find their light in simple pop form, as he paints a story of loving and losing and grinning and bearing—and finding some sort of story in it all. “Gave you all my attention, all my attention, it’s pathetic/Gave you all of my time, all my possessions, I regret it.” Aside from a catchy hook, it’s his mix of bitterness with his bandmates’ undeniably upbeat melodies that we find sick comfort in. But who knows? Maybe three years from now, that comfort will only be a faint memory, some fleeting thought we nod to the moment we press play.
100 Roses is available, July 17th via Disposable America. Head over to the DA bandcamp to purchase a digital download or limited edition cassette. Each cassette comes with a full-color, 24 page lyric booklet featuring photos and artwork from the band. A vinyl release is slated for later this year via Dog Knights Productions (UK) & Signal Fire Press.
Catch Burglary Years at the Democracy Center tomorrow, 7/17, alongside The Hotelier, Chrome Over Brass and Teenender. Show starts at 7 p.m. $5 to $10 sliding scale donation at the door benefits the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. RSVP.