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It’s hard to rise to the top in Austin, but over the last year Shivery Shakes have certainly made a nice name for themselves. For the first time, the masses will get a chance to hear recorded tunes as the group releases their Shivery Shakes EP; it lives up to all the promise we’ve been fortunate enough to see grow over the last year.
A bubbling bit of bass begins off “Our Nights” before the boys start to their jittery jangling. You’ll find a bit of youthful innocence in the group’s approach on this jam, which is exemplified by singer William’s voice, not to mention the gang vocal approach. Personally, I dig the nice surf-ish guitar solo that comes in near the end of the number.
By the time you get into “Say,” you start to see the boys hitting their stride, as a little bit of that live energy begins to seep though the sounds on the EP. You can almost feel yourself swaying with the cutting guitar lines, just as one would do when dancing with the Shivery Shakes in the live setting. Perhaps, the vocals are a tad rough, but that exuberance is exactly what makes the group so charming live, so lets not get nit-picky.
The effortless cool of “Stay Young” should help make the band branch out beyond the realms of Austin. At first, you get a bit of that sunny shakiness the band often employs, but the chorus is where they really kick your teeth in with pop goodness. As William begins his guttural shout with “I’m too young to die/you’re too old to lie” you can really feel that energy coming through your speakers; it’s a remarkable feat for a first effort.
All day long though, “Temporary Vacation” has been where it’s at in my head. For some reason, the story of creating your own vacation while dancing with a friend/lover in your living-room with your favorite record spinning fits my current daydreams. The group employs a bit of a stomp too about midway through the track, which offers up just enough differentiation to keep the sound of the EP fresh. Oh, and it’s got whistling too!
“Wait” closes out the short effort in grand fashion. There’s grit on these guitars, despite their ability to flesh out gorgeous pop melodies. William’s seemingly distant vocals are accompanied by the rest of the group joining him to provide a sublime choral moment. This is one of those songs where you can see the group fit all their influences and touches into one tight song.
In conclusion, Shivery Shakes are a rising star in Austin, but with songs like this, they should hopefully start to seem some recognition elsewhere. They combine bits of Cali sun-pop, group harmonies, jangling guitars and steady drumming; in doing so, they create a short effort that’s both breezy and cool, begging to be turned up loud while you open the windows and let that Spring wind blow through. Well played lads.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Wait.mp3]
Download:Shivery Shakes – Wait [MP3]
If I were to pick out an Austin artist that would break out into the world to win everyone’s hearts, the odds of that group being the Infinites are pretty high. What began as a looped guitar project between Dan Levine (Ghetto Ghouls) and Jared Zoltar (the Zoltars) has a evolved quickly into a well-oiled pop making machine. In their newest single, the guitar lines dance and flutter, jumping out sharply when emphasis is needed. Everyone else takes on a casual vibe, waiting for the the vocals to intoxicate; I love how Jared naturally has this hook in the way he’s delivering his lines, matched perfectly by those guitar parts. The band will be releasing their debut self-titled LP on First Human Records on April 26th.
