Westminster Abbey

It seems to be a general assumption in underground rock these days that lo-fi somehow brings with it some kind of instant credibility. The slew of terrible bands that have jumped the bandwagon over the years aside, rock has always prided itself on being as visceral as possible. And while a rougher approach usually does capture a good (the key term here) rock group like few other production approaches can, the Westminster Abbey’s debut EP seems to focus far more on how distorted and decayed its songs are instead of how well they work. This is somewhat of a shame since several of its tracks, like opener "Oh, No!” and "Hangin’ On,” could be excellent garage-pop singles given a more vivid arrangement and a somewhat clearer production. Elsewhere, Oh No, It’s An EP! continues in its liberal Orange Juice and Kinks borrowing, but not nearly to as immediate an effect as "Oh No!” In the end, its major problems are more of a rookie mistake than a damning lack of talent, so hopefully they’re able to capture their stubbornly retro sound more truthfully, and tolerably, in the future.