The Real Distractions Stupid EP
“The REAL DISTRACTIONS love rock’n’roll,” and from this Olympia quartet’s prestigious pedigree and the songs on this quarantine EP, I believe that love has got to be real. The guitar rings out with power pop build-ups and a tingle of bubblegum glam raunch on the edges. The electric piano has that reedy Wurlitzer garage rock rattle, a texture I just absolutely adore. On all four songs, the dual vocals meet up in the middle like a secret handshake but also have their own moments at the mic. The bass and drums keep it punchy and tight, shifting into the sometimes snakey time changes but exploding with big dynamic fills, all while still staying in the driver’s seat, keeping the van going all night. While the band has studied their well-flipped 45s and the songs are classically catchy, they’re still lyrically modern, with connections to the real world in real time and not just rock’n’roll revivalist tropes. The REAL DISTRACTIONS have such high-quality ingredients as a band, and the combination of them compliments each other perfectly—like tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, and basil come together on a warming slice of Old School pizza. And like a good slice, it leaves me wanting more, so here’s hoping for a West Coast tour, or else I’ll have to make my way to Olympia and catch them on their home turf.