While their Buzz labelmates Dilly Dally channel the loud-quiet-loud of Pixies, the Beverleys fire constantly on all thrashy cylinders à la early Nirvana. It’s not like their debut full-length isn’t dynamic, though the three-piece play at two volumes: ear-damagingly loud and jet engine loud. Brutal’s fiery din makes for 27 or so minutes of vital, destructive punk rock that solidifies the band as one of Toronto’s best purveyors of harsh noise.
While this type of melodic but oft unforgiving punk is usually characterized by a sort of sloppy magic, the Beverleys’ songs are sharper than a broken beer bottle, with production that sticks close to the genre’s roots but also inches it just barely into accessibility territory, which could bring bigger audiences.
Stamp Glue is the most vicious track, and it’s fun filler if not memorable. The rest, while plenty dangerous, have more to latch onto: the raised-fist shouts of Promises, the semi-sweet hooks of Visions, the galactic breakdown of Spaced. The Beverleys definitely brutalize, but in a way that makes you beg for more.
Top track: Spaced
Win a pair of tickets to see The Beverleys on January 14th at The Horseshoe Tavern here!
