Anyone who knows me, or reads Mixtape Muse, knows that I'm a sucker for garage rock (I mean, I made a feature on the site just to talk about it). And while I'll generally warm up to anything that's rough around the edges, pushes up against the speakers, and attacks with hot, buzzing tube amplifiers, I've certainly come across practitioners of the genre that have lacked the attitude and obvious passion for the music to leave much of a lasting impression. Garage rock isn't just about great songs, or hooks, it's about conviction. For example, (Iggy &) The Stooges may be widely held as pioneers of punk -- a protopunk band to most -- but they were and are, at their core, a garage rock band who took off on the conviction that poured out of Iggy Pop.
New Mexico (formerly Apes of Wrath) do it for me. They aren't straight up garage rock, as they mix in perfect amounts of post-punk. With every chord strummed; with every hi-hat and snare hit; with every bass riff that ascends and descends the fretboard, you can sense the presence of the band's passion for what they're doing. In the jangle of guitar and chug of bass, it's evident they aren't half-assing anything. New Mexico stroll nonchalantly, appearing cool and composed one moment. Then, before you know it, they're making a pleasurable racket with cymbals crashing and furiously strummed electric guitar. And if my words aren't convincing you (some people are more visual than others), then you can check out a live performance of a song from their brand new EP after the jump.
You can also check out a few songs from said EP and stream/download it after the jump.
LISTEN:
STREAM THE WHOLE EP:
New Mexico
Bandcamp
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