When I think of the local music experience. Bummers comes to mind.
Some of my favorite local music memories have been associated with this band. Notably, one time I saw this band play on the floor in the Ohio State Student Union. The environment was intimate, unique, and the band’s sunny surf rock tunes warmed us all up on that winter evening.
Their self-titled LP was one of my favorite releases the year it released, and I’m more than ready to digest Dolores, a new EP that entertained a nearly sold-out Ace of Cups recently.
If Bummers play music suitable for sandy environments, their self-titled record is suitable for the beach in South Florida and Dolores is more suitable for the desert. This may come across as a liability, but I assure you this is not the case. The name “Bummers” comes across as a bit more literal and less ironic in the context of this EP, but music is no less enjoyable.
“Black Halo” slowly swirls into existence like a nature explorer surveying the landscape, probably in that aforementioned desert. “The One You Love” steadily meaders forward with a guitar tone vaguely reminiscent of Peter Buck of R.E.M. In spite of the song’s more somber foundation, some horns add some color to give the tune balance. Angsty bass grooves anchor the proceeding tune, “Sweet Sixteen”, and “Sick and Tired” in this writer’s opinion bears the most resemblance to the earlier Bummers material. Though the sound is familiar overall, even in at it’s most heartwarming my mindset remains in sort of a desert-like setting. It’s a paradoxical existence for surf rock, but I like it.
Dolores surfaced at a good time for fans of Bummers, and word is there are already new tunes brewing. I wonder where the next era of Bummers will end up geographically.
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