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Slug Love’s Underside

Album review

By EA Poorman

Fort Wayne Reader

2018-09-23

So how is everyone doing? You all rested and healed up from the massive party known as Middle Waves 2018? Lots of local love on those stages, as well as plenty of big names that you already know I'm sure. Due to previous engagements, Yours Truly didn't make it this year. From my social media feed it looks like it was a rousing success (man, what about that Idles? And Kevin Hambrick joined Dr. Dog on stage?) I regret missing out, honestly. Malkmus was a big one, for sure. And Friday night's party at the Clyde with Dinosaur Jr? I'm sure I'll look back and regret not breaking those previous plans, but it won't be the first regret I've ever had. In fact, it'll probably be added to the extremely long, Dead Sea Scrolls-like list of regrets I keep in a box down in the basement, right next to my mother-in-law's ashes.

But like I said, there was lots of local rock and roll in attendance this year. Best Sleep, Streetlamps For Spotlights, Lightlow, The Snarks, Anna Faye, Unlikely Alibi, Sad Gravity, and Fort Wayne Funk Orchestra, just to name a few. Another of those local bands that hit the Middle Waves stage was garage rockers Slug Love. My ears only recently came into contact with these young punks, but I'm willing to make up for lost time.

The band, which consists of Alex DeNicolo, David Yanes, Josh Wenning and Derek Schweizer, hail from the Fort and play a brash mix of Detroit-tinged rock and roll, punk rock, and a twist of Midwest Replacements just for fun. Way back in March the band released their debut album titled Underside. How I missed this one I don't know. Maybe it was my extra couple months of hibernation, or my extreme bouts of agoraphobia that kept me home bound with pizza deliveries left on the porch, ample amounts of cheap booze, and VOD binges that left my internet service provider crying uncle. Whatever it was, it's no excuse. But I'm now plugged back into the world (for now), and I'm here to tell you all about this great fuzzy rock nugget called Underside.

"Flying Discs" is the album opener and a solid introduction into Slug Love's musical world. Sort of a mix of "God Save The Queen" and "Can't Hardly Wait" with the crunch and sweat of Detroit, 1969. Really, what more is needed in the rock and roll formula? Title track "Underside" follows that up with the right amount of Midwest sadsack indifference and guitar crunch that I imagine Yuck, but if they'd arrived out of the Fort instead of the UK. "Swollen" sounds like early Weezer, but a little seedier and gruff. Like, I can't imagine Rivers Cuomo singing a song called "Swollen." It might embarrass him. But Slug Love sounds right at home here. With subtle touches of phaser shifting on the guitars, these guys are more than just your average garage rock band.

Elsewhere, "Graveyard Walk" has the pep in its step of both early Ramones and Room On Fire-era Strokes. Under all the fuzz and garage echo bombast there's a real classic rock and roll band in Slug Love. Songs like "Home," "Get In Line," and "Punching Bag" aren't too far removed from the Ramones, KISS, and Chuck Berry. I think that's what reminds me so much of the Replacements. Slug Love crank up the amps and crunchy power chords, but really we're only a couple beers away from duck walks and "Johnny B. Goode". Then, you hit a track like "Knapsacks" and all bets are off. The song feels like its sonically at its limit, like it could bust its seams at any second. Absolute sonic destruction. "Repeat Mode" ends this quick shot of buzzing garage and punk rock on a Stooges-like note. After hearing this great track, I can't get over the idea of Slug Love covering "I Wanna Be Your Dog".

Underside is a solid slice of Midwest angst and deep-seeded classic rock and roll done up with the vigor of the Motor City and boozy Midwestern indie rock. Slug Love have made a little rock and roll masterpiece. Hopefully they're on their way to finishing a follow-up already.