We've all been bad and Broncho know it. While the usual suspects continue to dominate headlines, the indie rock outfit from Tulsa have taken it upon themselves to report on the unsuspected troublemakers. Through the all-seeing eye of their new record, Broncho deliver the news: corrupt politicians and greedy one-percenters aren't the only ones who've been misbehaving — it's all of us, themselves included. "Everybody's been acting badly over the last few years so we made a record about it," vocalist Ryan Lindsey says of Bad Behavior. But don't be fooled, this is not a protest album.
Looking to past decades, Broncho merge the once-competing worlds of rock and disco, preserving the attitude and flare of both genres while dressing it up for a modern day audience. Not only does the record celebrate genre tropes, it welcomes them, on occasion going so far as incorporating instrumental faux pas (cue the cowbell).
Throughout most of the album, tracks like "Sandman" are driven by spritely guitar riffs that groove steadily atop peppy dance beats. Meanwhile "Boys Got to Go," and "Undercover" strut along at a pace similar to Double Vanity's "Senora Borealis," but with a swagger that's far more impudent. At the very least, you're toe-tapping. And despite the variety of sonic influence, Bad Behavior's ten tracks all have an undeniable Bronchoness to them, which is partially due to Lindsey's sung-through-the-teeth vocals and provocative lyrics.
He comes clean on the feverish "Weekend," singing "You caught me in the weekend / You caught me with your boyfriend," before suggesting "The only difference between me... is you." On "Undercover" he has a critical realization "It's real cuz it feels/ it feels almost real." But on "Family Values," Lindsey's as assertive as he is nonchalant, claiming "I got a thing for your mother / I got a thing to teach your father." This track also kicks off with Lindsey's signature staccato adlib style that made "Class Historian" so memorable. But how many of these lyrics are listeners actually going to retain?
Unfortunately for Broncho, the album as a whole never fully demands attention in a way that's compelling. In fact, there's a pretty good chance that their message won't even linger in the minds of their fans, because that's not really what they came for. Real news, good news, fake news, bad news — who the hell cares? At the end of the day, if the kids just wanna chill out and dance, then so be it. Back to you, Broncho.
(Park The Van)Looking to past decades, Broncho merge the once-competing worlds of rock and disco, preserving the attitude and flare of both genres while dressing it up for a modern day audience. Not only does the record celebrate genre tropes, it welcomes them, on occasion going so far as incorporating instrumental faux pas (cue the cowbell).
Throughout most of the album, tracks like "Sandman" are driven by spritely guitar riffs that groove steadily atop peppy dance beats. Meanwhile "Boys Got to Go," and "Undercover" strut along at a pace similar to Double Vanity's "Senora Borealis," but with a swagger that's far more impudent. At the very least, you're toe-tapping. And despite the variety of sonic influence, Bad Behavior's ten tracks all have an undeniable Bronchoness to them, which is partially due to Lindsey's sung-through-the-teeth vocals and provocative lyrics.
He comes clean on the feverish "Weekend," singing "You caught me in the weekend / You caught me with your boyfriend," before suggesting "The only difference between me... is you." On "Undercover" he has a critical realization "It's real cuz it feels/ it feels almost real." But on "Family Values," Lindsey's as assertive as he is nonchalant, claiming "I got a thing for your mother / I got a thing to teach your father." This track also kicks off with Lindsey's signature staccato adlib style that made "Class Historian" so memorable. But how many of these lyrics are listeners actually going to retain?
Unfortunately for Broncho, the album as a whole never fully demands attention in a way that's compelling. In fact, there's a pretty good chance that their message won't even linger in the minds of their fans, because that's not really what they came for. Real news, good news, fake news, bad news — who the hell cares? At the end of the day, if the kids just wanna chill out and dance, then so be it. Back to you, Broncho.
