"The schoolbooks smell like old must / The teacher told me one day I would / Drive a thunderbird / Wear red high heels..."
Stepping back into "3rd Grade" by Richmond, Virginia based Ages with it's vibrant, sometimes frenetic energy like the rush of youthful anxiety riddled adrenaline will surely conjure up images in your mind. The bright strident guitars in interplay and the very sinewy bass line dancing against ever shifting drumming punches like something in between art punk and post hardcore. At the core of the band is the emotional quake of Adrienne Shurte's vocal aesthetic that made me think almost instantly of an amalgam of Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine) and Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz). Along with the puzzle piece jagged construction of the band in total, Christian Monroe (guitar) along with Adrienne's guitar work, Tristan Brennis (bass) and Tim Falen (drums, vox) the movements are exquisitely captivating. And, in fact, on this song specifically, the vibe made me hearken back to iconic 80's tones like The Pretenders and Pavement colliding.
"3rd Grade" is from Ages' full length "Must Be Nice", a collection of songs that "concentrate on mental-illness awareness, separation of spaces, and childhood memories". The album is available digitally as well as via cassette, today February 11th 2022 via their Bandcamp page.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/ages.rva/
https://agesrva.bandcamp.com/releases
https://soundcloud.com/user-634663187/sets/must-be-nice/s-XhGF9nyJEt5
Ages draws influences from an eclectic group of artists including Pinback, Nick Cave, Neko Case, Shellac, Jesus Lizard and Peter Gabriel. Adrienne Shurte is well known in the Richmond, Virginia music scene. Over the past decade she has played in Magnus Lush, Fire Bison, and Hail Hydra. Each band informs the next and has evolved into a vibrant and eclectic sound that we now hear in Ages. Adrienne has honed in on uncomfortable aspects of life while juxtaposing her lyrics with sparkling and sometimes even soothing compositions. Weaving empathy and weariness is a common theme explored in the new album.
Must be nice was recorded, mixed and mastered by Bryan Walthall (Camp Howard, Antiphons, Unholy Thoughts) in Richmond, VA. at Stereo Image recording studio.
We get by with a little help from our friends
Ages, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Alternative Rock, "3rd Grade", full length album, "Must Be Nice", mental-illness, childhood memories, jagged guitar, guitar layers, puzzle pieces, tightly wound, captivating vox,
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