Andrew Duncan
Young Mammals
Alto Seco
Odd Hours Records
Link: Bandcamp
Powering through like a boss, Young Mammals return with a second album that is full of pop spunk energy while maintaining some kind of sweet sincerity. Blame it on Carlos Sanchez’s voice to add a little bit of charm to an otherwise noisy convergence of garage rock and a certain degree of college slack. Somehow they make it feel methodological.
Songs like “Rabies” or “Lou Reed” sound like a punk rock manifesto. In turn, a song like “Rabies” is an echoed pop serenade that tries to mimic but cannot quite replicate the ghosts of a ‘50s crooner. Nor is it as clunky as the mess in the garage.
And for “Lou Reed?” A soft intimate reflection of the legend burns like some dusty back porch homage. The song is the most introspective on the album based on a person who was most retrospective to life and the human spirit.
There is a deep relationship between members that include childhood friends. So within each song you have a group of musicians who know more about each other, but also respects their individuality. And with that theory, it makes Alto Seco more attractive. While you are at it, it’s worth a mention to go back and check out their debut album to not only see where the band has come from, but to also experience a solid foundation from the band.
Even though not completely apparent, you cannot get a finer modern alt-pop album than this. If you strip away the fuzz and noise, you come up with beautiful pop constructions. The noise just helps give the album character and not just some band who plays slacked-eyed pop. That would be boring and Young Mammals are far from it.