As a child of the 90s, I have an affinity with the college rock/alt-rock boom, with bands such as Pavement, Soul Asylum, The Flaming Lips and Wilco all featuring large in my collection. Between the emergence of Cheap Girls, Beach Slang and the UK’s very own Kagoule, we’re seeing a re-birth of that classic sound, and Brooklyn’s Adult Dude definitely fit into this category.
Owing more to the likes of Dinosaur Jr and their fuzzed, hazy sound, Adult Dude are a band that would live left of the dial, but fit right in alongside many of my teenage favourites.
‘Adult Moods’ takes a little while to get going. The opening salvo of ‘Junior Junior’ and ‘80 MPH’ leaning a little too heavily on the shoulder of J Mascis and Lou Barlow’s legendary alt-rock group and don’t leave too much of an impression. The oddly titled ‘Riff Dog’ and ‘New Son Gay’ fare much better however, showing much more individuality, while ‘Marinara Veins’ is the outstanding song of the first side. None deviate too heavily from the Superchunk/Dinosaur Jr blueprint and if you’re a fan of those bands, then there’s a strong chance you’ll enjoy ‘Adult Moods’.
The second half is just as good, although you’ll be surprised at just how brief it is. Three of the songs all clock in less than 2 minutes, meaning it’s a short, sharp, alt-rock shock. For some reason ‘Cupcake’ reminds me a touch of the Foo Fighters, but still retains the buzzsaw charm of the rest of the record.
‘Hev Dog’ is a bit of a curveball amidst all of the fizzing guitars and yelped vocals; a 6-minute plus Alternative Nation anthem that shows there’s more to Adult Dude than throwaway punk songs. It’s interesting, but definitely not what they do best.
Overall, ‘Adult Moods’ is an enjoyable, if hardly essential, listen. There’s just enough about it to ensure it’s not merely a tribute to a previous era, but instead feels current and relevant, and by keeping things short and punchy it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
3.5/5
‘Adult Moods’ by Adult Dude is released on 31st July on Animal Style Records.
Adult Dude links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair)
