Carrying the torch high for Toronto's lo-fi slackers are Straight To Business, a fun-loving four-piece band of dudes who love fuzzy guitars and sunshine-y melodies. Their debut is packed with raucous little ditties that harken back to the part of the '90s that some people might describe as "simpler times." They're sloppy without actually sounding sloppy, a bit off-the-hinges, and they throw some curveballs, like the gigantic fast-slow-fast blues-rock monster "Wet Dream."
The surf-inspired guitar noodle of opener "Float" is bursting at the seams with summertime giddiness, and that continues onto "Cool." a blast of sugary-sweet guitar-pop that hits the ground running and never loses its energy. There's a bizarre detour with the sub-60-second "Voodoo Shack" that is kind of annoying, but thankfully short-lived, followed by the previously mentioned "Wet Dream," which makes for some odd flow right in the middle. But the second half is strong, with album highlight "Divebar" (featuring Sarah Savin) providing a hazy spiral of saccharine bliss thanks to Savin's beautifully simple pseudo-R&B guest vocals.
Straight To Business is the perfect sort of soundtrack to supply the tunes at your favourite skate park while you watch the sun go down. But STB should maybe stick to those vibes: They're the ones they do best.
(Independent)The surf-inspired guitar noodle of opener "Float" is bursting at the seams with summertime giddiness, and that continues onto "Cool." a blast of sugary-sweet guitar-pop that hits the ground running and never loses its energy. There's a bizarre detour with the sub-60-second "Voodoo Shack" that is kind of annoying, but thankfully short-lived, followed by the previously mentioned "Wet Dream," which makes for some odd flow right in the middle. But the second half is strong, with album highlight "Divebar" (featuring Sarah Savin) providing a hazy spiral of saccharine bliss thanks to Savin's beautifully simple pseudo-R&B guest vocals.
Straight To Business is the perfect sort of soundtrack to supply the tunes at your favourite skate park while you watch the sun go down. But STB should maybe stick to those vibes: They're the ones they do best.
