The oddly named Marvelous Beauhunks is a Canadian band from Oshawa, Ontario — a city just to the east of Toronto — that originally formed in 1990. Two years later, they were history. However, the group reformed in 2010, and if the fruits of the outfit’s new EP Scud are any indication, the absence might have been worth it. The Marvelous Beauhunks sound a little like the Flamin’ Groovies, with some additional ‘60s mod touches. Basically, the Scud EP walks down the street with the change in its pocket jangling. And here’s the kicker: you can download the EP for absolutely free from the band’s BandCamp page. So what are you waiting for? You have absolutely nothing to lose, aside from some hard drive space on your computer. Chances are, you won’t be disappointed. These five songs are gems and leave one wanting to hear what may come next.
The disc opens with “Top of the World”, which is a boot-shaking power pop gem that so vividly recreates the sound of the early ‘70s that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was from that era. “(If Yer Gonna Dream) Dream Big” comes next, in all of its acoustically strummed, giddy up and sunshiny glory. “Coffin Candy” has all the snarl of a Ramones track, but crouched in more power pop goodness. The psychedelia, Byrds-y “Where Are You Now?” vaguely also recalls Teenage Fanclub. “(Sha-La-La-La) Lights Out” is short and punchy at almost two-and-a-half minutes. It’s all great.
Now, the one odd thing about this release is that there are a couple of spots where it sounds like the Marvelous Beauhunks had the doors to the recording studio open and captured the sound of a truck beeping as it backed up. Intentional or not, it’s a bit distracting. Still, that’s just carping, especially when you’re getting this stuff for the cost of nothing. The Scud EP is a great investment, even if it is just of disc space, and you shouldn’t pass this one up.