Like a noisier, heavier Surfer Blood, Vancouver-based Weed manages to enliven their particular brand of revivalist guitar-heavy indie rock with a sense of melodicism that cuts through the massive wash of feedback, establishing a firm hold on the ear of the listener. While the Husker Du/Dinosaur Jr./My Bloody Valentine-esque wall of guitars often obscures the lyrics, the hooks remain discernable with the vocals acting more as an additional instrument than the central focus.
But this lack of lyrical discernibility is of little concern as the music itself carries a tonal quality conveying more than most lyrics could ever hope to in both mood and emotional resonance. Rather than simply bashing away and creating a racket for noise’s sake, Weed crafts finally tuned, fuzzed-out guitar pop, the majority of which clocks in under three minutes. By favoring brevity and hooks within their very particular brand of oft-practiced noise pop, Weed position themselves at the head of an increasingly crowded field. Fans of the noisier end of the indie spectrum will find much to like on Running Back.