Great job, Nicky Reynolds! On Song
Demos, the first of three such releases in 2019, Reynolds whips up a lo-fi
power pop maelstrom that would line up nicely next to some Children of Nuggets tunes, or maybe some New Zealand indie records
of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The songs are incredibly tuneful and
composed, and Reynolds looks really young to be doing this – says me with a
critical schoolmarm eye. “Nicky Reynolds, shouldn’t you be studying for your
SATs instead of practicing these guitars at such a volume?”
No, I can’t pull it off.
Point is, the Beekeepers is something you should really try to get your
hands on if you like a little Kinks with your XTC, or a little garage with your
New Romantic. It’s can be a secret between friends, a tape passed back and
forth like a talisman to ward off outside influence when you just want to
escape. It’s music for hiding behind your book bag and hoping nobody notices
you. It’s the crashing waves of self-doubt when romance eludes you, and the exhilaration
that there’s something out there for you anyway, even if it’s in the form of a
battered yellow tape. Listen!
https://the-beekeepers.bandcamp.com/album/song-demos
--Ryan