The Key Studio Sessions: Residuels

There’s a smoky, blues-from-a-gun furor to Philadelphia trio Residuels. The band, fronted by singer-guitarist Justin Pittney, caught our ear in the past with the heavy, heady Jesus and Mary Chain guitar jams it’s tapped into over various self-released singles.

But as the band gets ready to release its debut LP – which it worked on with Philly producer extraordinaire Jeff Zeigler – we get to hear different sides of Residuels, ones that hold Nick Cave and The Stooges and The Cramps in equal reverence as the guys who released Reverence.

Residuels kicked out this session live in WXPN studios in late 2015, and joining them was local filmmaker Kyle Garvey. He had a couple camera and a bunch of 16mm film, and set to document the session in a decidedly non-digital, get-it-right-the-first-time style – and the resulting clip for “Enough,” released last night ahead of their session’s broadcast on WXPN, totally nails that vibe.

Also worth your consideration are the other songs in the band’s taut and punchy setlist. Big rock and roll chords ring out on the anthemic “Stay,” while “Burn” is fierce fire, a punchy and wild minute and 47. “Ordinary” splits the difference as Pittney takes a defiant stand against banality, and the band nods to their roots with a tight over of 13th Floor Elevators’ “You’re Gonna Miss Me.”

Stream the set in its entirety below, download it here via Soundcloud, and watch the “Enough” video. For a further fix of live Residuels, consult the XPN Concert Calendar, where you’ll find details on the band’s headlining Johnny Brenda’s show this Sunday night with Daddy Long Legs, The Whips and Straw Hats.