Drip Edges singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeremy Scott—formerly of the Reigning Sound—is an avowed Bob Mould disciple, and that’s clearly evident as the guitars roar on “Everything’s Gonna Have To Be Alright,” the first song off the Memphis band’s debut EP. (Drummer Graham Burks Jr., guitarist Noel Clark and bassist Mitchell Manley round out the quartet.) Scott is a walking encyclopedia of rock ’n’ roll knowledge, and inspirations on Kicking Tires On The Clown Car range from Tommy Keene (the intro and outro on “Half A Blade”) to, maybe, the Smithereens (“Nobody Wants To Drive”).
Lyrically, Scott mixes weary resignation with cautious optimism, perhaps colored by today’s political climate and our society crumbling around us on a daily basis. On the aforementioned “Half A Blade,” his facile wordplay brings to mind Paul Westerberg’s deft turns of phrase (“Everybody’s got big plans today/You’re just trying not to open a vein”); the closing “Bullshit Makes The World Go Round” is self-explanatory. Covered here, the Tokens’ “Animal” (see: rock professorship) wasn’t necessarily begging for interpretation, but five killer tracks out of six is something to celebrate in these trying times. [The Drip Edges]
—Matt Hickey
