Band: The Soft Pack
Release: 2010
Label: Kemado Records

1. “C’mon” – A
2. “Down On Loving” – A
3. “Answer To Yourself’ – A
4. “Move Along” – A-
5. “Pullout” – A-
6. “More Or Less” – A-
7. “Tides Of Time” – B+
8. “Flammable” – B+
9. “Mexico” – A-
10. “Parasites” – A-

Comments: Compared to the likes of Black Lips and Strange Boys,  The Soft Pack stand for almost a new kind of garage rock that’s seemingly inspired by the likes of late ’90s and early ’00s revivalist figureheads. Heavily pop AND heavily garage, it’s not hard to get hooked to a lot of these tunes. I’ll probably keep looking back at this record throughout this month and the year and be glad I got into The Soft Pack (credit NuRaveBrainWave for posting stuff about them). While many of the first eight songs are bangers (not the Irish breakfast sausage, but rather heavy garage ditties), “Mexico”  is a great song, packed with a quintessential surf bass hook, to listen to if you want to convince yourself it’s warmer outside than it really is (looking out the window I see perfectly clear skies…but it’s only 34 F). Yeah…definitely give this a listen! I anticipate hearing a lot of garage/punk/psychedelic music in the year 2010, but I can definitely see this being a top release.

Grade: A- (91)