Austin’s Genuine Leather is set to release their second LP, Losers, this week, and for the next few days, Pop Press International is the exclusive place to hear the album. The record is perfect for lazy summers, full of 60s pop sensibilities slathered in gritty garage production tendencies. It’s a little bit country, a little bit electronic, and a whole lot of pop. There are flashes of Beck’s early material, I’m taking Golden Feelings and One Foot in the Grave. However, the group’s points of reference are much more expansive, incorporating driving, Strokes-like distorted riffs, classic guitar tones that invoke Big Star, and sprawling, atmospheric jams a la Kurt Vile.
Bouncing classic rock guitars open the album on, “The Viper;” it’s not quite the Who, and it’s not quite the Cars. It feels familiar, but hard to place. Even though Genuine Leather is wrapping a few decades of upbeat rock into a simple guitar progression, the song could be called straightforward–infectious and fun, yet simple. Then, a minute and a half in, rather than falling into another verse, the band drops a completely unexpected and beautifully subtle guitar solo. It takes the song from good to great in a few notes. This is the kind of attention to detail you can expect from Genuine Leather. We’re expecting big things upon the release of this excellent album. We’re proud to bring you the streaming audio below.
