Review of Back Pocket Memory’s self titled EP by Liz

Think of all the tiny, local bar bands in your area, with their stereotypically bad names and worse covers… And promptly throw away everything you ever associated with small bands. Back Pocket Memory is not one of those groups that, in attempts to make the great leap from garage tostage, will succumb to the downward spiral of conformity. Rather, they have nurtured the easily accessible sound they’ve developed. With their upcoming self-titled EP, set to drop this September, the raw talent packed into their alt-rock quintet is astounding! The 5 songs on the EP truly pack a punch, enough to leave a musical bruise on the cortex- a bruise with a cool story.

I’m usually not one for alternative rock, but found myself loving the group, which I believe is partially due to their apparent likability. They have this charm and professionalism usually not found in such young bands that have yet to break through the barrier of airwaves and trend, which just beefs up their natural talent. I can imagine an audience for a BPM show ranging from skinheads to little sisters; a motley, ragtag bunch with great taste.

Opening track, “The Prisoner”, is a prime example of the band’s ability to integrate and weave each element of the group together, creating a beautifully complex, enjoyable sound. Opening with a harsh guitar and bittersweet, remorseful lyrics, it transforms into a whirlwind of hard driving rock sprinkled with colorful bursts of light guitar picking. This seems to be a trait of Back Pocket Memory, although one that is not worn out- and I highly doubt will become as much. My favorite track on the disc is “Daylight”, whose addictively bright and equally tight choruses shift between slower paced verses in a waltz of bipolarity, giving and pulling into eventually definable organic shapes, only to shift back again, which is a true, almost contradictory, delight to the ears.

Needless to say, I am beyond impressed with Back Pocket Memory, for which I initially had little hope for after finding that the band was yet another California local yokel trying to make it big in the music biz. However, when one truly listens, you discover the opportunistic horizons that lie ahead of Back Pocket Memory.

-Liz Russell