“Buried in sarcophagus”
There was this moment while driving around breaking in my first listen of Social Club that I thought to myself: “holy sh*t, these guys are really it.” Then I gave the album a second listen; a third, fourth, fifth (there was an additional sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth time of listening, probably more. I lost count.) Meaning: I’ve build up enough cred to say there’s seriously no other band that I’d rather be listening to continuously on loop right now.
A varietal mix of fun songs written over the accumulative years of what is now officially The Teddy Boys and recorded over the Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2013, Social Club‘s vibes are felt immediately as the first track “Ball of Light” starts rocking out (“would you tell me what you did last nighttt? Would you t-t-tell me?”), leaving you with no choice but to accept the electric shock waves entering your body and dance (also a common side effect of attending a Teddy Boys show).
And what would a Teddy Boy’s song even be without some of those Stef Chips vocals (this one’s got a set of lungs!)? Throughout the entire album her voice becomes a definite trademark of the band’s sound, and lemme tell ya: she’s like nothing you’ve ever heard. Oh, and that guitar, that freaking guitar! (But seriously: THE GUITAR, you guys.) One of the Boys’ guitarists Jon Chips, who is also the mastermind behind engineering Social Club, has some more than just defined guitar playing techniques that at some points are way too ridiculous to even comprehend, posing another good reason for you to listen.
I love so much every song on this album and cannot even try to pick just one favorite (they’re all $$$!), but I guess if you HAD to ask me I’d say “Mummy” and “River” both really got to me—which is what Teddy Boys’ songs tend to do; they get to you, whether it be somewhere in the deepest little crevice of your heart or that inner jinglin’ inside your bones.
The chemistry of The Teddy Boys ignited by this fiery group (you must see them perform live) along with the longevity of all these songs makes for way more than just some CD written in a couple months. Social Club is a perfection of something special that has really only just begun…
Tracklist:
1. “Ball of Light” – $$$
2. “Area 52” – $$$
3. “Bad Panther” – $$
4. “Housch” – $$$
5. “It’s Alright” – $
6. “Good Graces for Fathers” – $$$
7. “Mummy” – $$$$
8. “Widow” – $$
9. “Right Eye Cry” – $$$$
10. “River” – $$$
11. “Sullivan” – $
12. “Eno” – $$
13. “American Man” – $$
Teddy Boys is Matt Pietrick, Jon Chips (guitar/organ/vocals), Stef Chips (vocals), Rick Pietrick (guitar/organ/vocals), Zach Panek (bass/vocals), and Jason Rubinski (drums). Social Club was written and produced by The Teddy Boys “from the aura of souls, laughter, & fun”, and recorded at The Foundry, So Good Sounds, and Spider Studios. Album art designed by ChaderOne.
