Strange Boys

It was just last spring that Dallas, TX quartet Strange Boys released their debut LP, The Strange Boys and Girls Club. And while there were some terrific tunes on that disc, the band's sound seemed to be retracing the steps of many of their garage rock contemporaries. But oh what a difference a year can make. The band went through some significant line-up changes, losing their drummer, but gaining Seth Densham and Jenna Thornhill-Dewitt (of the now defunct Mika Miko), and Tim Presley from Darker My Love. This version of the band are much more comfortable in their skin, abandoning the go-for-broke sound of their debut. The sextet are able to lean back and enjoy themselves on Be Brave, crafting a set of tunes that, at times, resembles the Black Lips feeling up Exile on Main Street. The title track is an absolute highlight that sees the group lay back into a slow, comfortable groove, with a killer crescendo. Be Brave's final quarter crawls to a close, ending on the acoustic "You Can't Only Love When You Want To," somewhat muting the brilliance of the first nine tracks, but in the crowded and often limiting field of garage rock, Strange Boys have found their groove.