Sheer Mag’s debut 7″ will bring you to your feet
You’ll hear the lyric “Well, I can drink from the river ‘til the ocean runs dry” on Sheer Mag’s debut seven-inch, and you’ll notice you’re mid-power stance: fist tightly clenched, eyes shut hard and knees bent just enough. But it just feels right. The song is “Hard Lovin’” and you’ve been standing in front of the stereo since you got up to flip the record over after “Sit and Cry” finished the first side. And that simply makes sense.
This springboard seven-inch coming out of South Philly is a raw-powered punch through unstoppable hooks. The five-piece comes out blazing hot with “What You Want,” which opens the 7″, and by the end, it’s nearly a clinic as we’re reminded the guitar solo is alive and well. “Sit and Cry,” noodles into a mid-tempo bass walk before revealing a soulful swell as you succumb, getting up to flip the wax to side B.
The pound-out, stomp-along “Point Breeze,” gives us the record’s only acoustic guitar chugging. And it’s right about here when you’re starting to notice the drummer’s ultra-simple setup. Speaking of something being the only, the drummer seems to only play hi-hats on each of the four ultra lo-fi songs. A huge crying out of, “Ayayayayeah!” book-ends the song that’s dealing with the change of the band’s neighborhood with a heavy heart. “Hard Lovin’” marches the the needle in toward the label where it turns into the swaggering skip at the arena-sized clap-along before the tune’s outro. Then there you are, standing in front of the stereo lowering your fist to your side, begging for more. And you think to yourself, If this is the lovin’ they’re giving me then, please, don’t let it get any easier.
Sheer Mag open for Screaming Females and Pujol at Johnny Brenda’s on November 5. Get more info here.