Thin Lips | photo by Rachel Del Sordo for WXPN
Algebra’s Die Noisily is so much better than math class
It should be illegal to have a band name that conjures up memories of high school math classes and still be a good band. Because as much as my head hurts just thinking about algebra, the math, the new band called Algebra is undeniably onto something with their music.
Algebra is the new project of Philly music scene veteran Chris Diehm, who’s been in just a few local bands over the years — you might recognize him from Thin Lips, or Year of Glad, or Earth Telephone, or 1994!, or Boyfriends. Diehm plays guitar and does the vocals in Algebra, and he’s joined by Evan Dyer of Lancaster’s The Battlefields Studio on drums and bass.
Algebra’s debut EP Die Noisily puts a Philly twist on the classic pop/punk sound — the four tracks each have a fresh and distinct sound, and take the listener through highs and lows without a lapse in raw energy and honest buoyancy. Diehm sings in a way that makes it evident that no matter how many musical projects may come and go, what matters most is that the art itself is fun to make (and hopefully free of mathematical equations and that sort of nonsense).
Listen below via Bandcamp.