Review Summary: A saxophone, a sledgehammer…
In 2019, a band called Black Midi helped craft a musical storm that slowly began to engulf a sizable portion of independent music in the United Kingdom. This storm, formed over a sea of influences containing elements of progressive rock, art punk and orchestral chamber music, shifted the focus of indie rock away from the lo-fidelity, minimalistic style of the 2010’s and recentered instead on tight production, emotional depth and maximalist song structures. The resulting change has spawned numerous bands over the last 6 years who have brought consistently solid releases that have steadily garnered international attention. Now, with the modern accessibility of streaming services and online music distribution websites, the storm has made its way across the Atlantic, making an unexpected trip to the state of Ohio.
Last year, Cincinnati’s Touchdown Jesus released their debut extended play, entitled “You Must Not Know Who You Are To Them,” boasting a strong exhibition of skillful and nicely textured jazz-infused progressive rock reminiscent of the storm from overseas. Despite being likely influenced by bands of the growing scene in the UK, Touchdown Jesus comes off as anything but derivative with a unique blend of sounds as equally rich in passion as it is in technical proficiency. Their sophomore EP, “It’s All Feast Or Famine,” expands on this sound with a sharper edge, sharper production and an even wider range of musical motion.
Unlike many genre contemporaries, the band wastes little time with slow burning tension, instead exploding right out the gate with “I Love My Wife,” packing precise guitar playing, pronounced bass and pounding percussion. The vocal responsibilities alternate between drummer Ethan Kimberly and guitarist Miller Kaye, providing a sort of good cop/bad cop of Kimberly’s focused melody to Kaye’s more aggressive punk delivery.
The production helps this album greatly as all instruments are accentuated well without overpowering one another. The vocals provide a stark contrast to the music at times but strangely seem to work with the quality of the instrumentation. While other experimental rock bands tend to venture too far into unhinged calamity, the Cincinnati quartet is more surgical in their approach to musical progression, successfully balancing control with expression. The drums are a highlight on the EP, giving a nice punch to songs like “Hairdryer” and “Jump Scare” while bringing some groove on tracks like “Snake Oil.”
“New Swang” impressively shows off as both the longest and most layered track here, putting all of the band’s finest qualities on full display in an exhilaratingly beautiful journey of musical craftsmanship. The repeating guitar and bass parts along with the drum’s pounding snare create a wonderful buildup beneath the duetted vocals. What ensues next can best be described as Rush meets Spyro Gyra with all instruments converging on one big progressive rock jam before transitioning into an exquisite solo by saxophonist Lee Sullivan. This peace only lasts so long before Kaye descends into his most boisterous vocal performance of the entire release, ushering in a lengthy breakdown by all four members to punctuate an exciting close to this EP.
With a second strong showing like this, Touchdown Jesus have shown their musical chops are much more than just comparable to what influences them. With the amount of skill this young band has, surely they are capable of recording a full-length album that will help reintroduce the notion of well-produced, innovative rock music back into the American indie-sphere. Could this be the making of our own storm here in the States? If the answer’s yes then it’s fair to say there will be more feast than famine for indie fans going forward.
