Released: 6th July 2018
Rating: ★★★★
Making a name for themselves already as one of the most exciting New York bands around, with ‘Endless Scroll’ Bodega have laid down a strong marker with their own form of infectious art-punk. Storming through 14 songs in half an hour, the five-piece from Brooklyn are not ones to hang around, shifting from track to track via the use of punchy basslines and the occasional interlude from a Siri-like robot.
Debut single ‘How Did This Happen?!’ leads the way while the pulsating sound of ‘Gyrate’ gives off a nervous energy hard to contain. However, it is on the touching Hooton Tennis Club-esque ballad ‘Charlie’ where we see a surprisingly different side to Bodega. Moving away briefly from the automated messages of society’s unhealthy fixation with technology, it is an honest, heartfelt reflection of the feelings encountered when you lose someone close to you and offers a change of pace that is welcomed with open arms.
Significantly, it seems that even when the instrumentation does seep into repetitive territory during the course of the album, the imaginative and, at times, self-referential lyrics evolve together. Whether it’s recounting personal stories such as ‘Charlie’ or building a whole refrain on a lead character from Titanic (‘Jack in Titanic’), the seemingly fluid transition between songs comes across as something crafted to perfection yet distinctively effortless.
The album was recorded and produced by Austin Brown from Parquet Courts and although the influence and comparisons are clear to see, what Bodega have created is something that feels altogether both familiar and current at the same time. ‘Endless Scroll’ is a record filled with potential and a perfect snapshot of what’s still to come.
Dominic Allum
