Terry Malts

From the ashes of indie pop quintet Magic Bullets, San Francisco, CA's Terry Malts rose like a peregrine falcon, racing through some incredibly hasty pop punk tunes like time was running out on the world. Their debut album, 2012's Killing Time, was a refreshing merger of the Ramones and the C86 tape: chainsaw-buzzing guitars, throbbing drums and spiky vocal hooks. You know the saying, "if it ain't broke don't fix it," which is exactly what the trio were thinking on second album Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere. Keeping the urgent, breakneck speed and heavy fuzz going full blast, they power through the hardcore-infused "Life's A Dream," their heaviest track to date, and conjure up dreamy power pop on "I Was Not There." However, while Killing Time was a non-stop blur of frenetic thrashing, Nobody Realizes makes a few adjustments. Guitarist Corey Cunningham's innocent voice takes over the lead from Phil Benson on album standout "Buy Buy Baby," and they actually slam on the brakes for the noise-slathered, acoustic "Comfortably Dumb." The minor tunings work and, as a result, Nobody Realizes gives Terry Malts the added depth some may have felt was missing.