by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
In the same way a bad band name can turn you of on listening to something, a good name can create instant interest. Ever since I first saw the name Squitch, I’ve been intrigued, and the best part is their music is even better. The Boston based trio have been busy over the past three years, playing a wide range of DIY shows and releasing a steady stream of albums and singles, each building off the core of the last and expanding their songwriting further into unpredictability. Their influences - bands like Polvo and Autoclave - can be heard in their intelligent post-punk songs, blending gorgeous vulnerability with twisted progressions and abrasive nuances that always appear at the just the right time. They’re the type of band that’s perfect for a basement show - kinda heavy, kinda weird, and full of those surprises that make you feel like you’re witnessing something special at every corner.
“Rut” is a new one-off single from the band, their first since last year’s Uncle Steve In Spirit, and its enough to leave us anxious for their next release (a very good split on a very good label that should be announced in due time). Opening with a raw yet jangly guitar line and an off centered rhythmic groove, everything that Squitch have been working toward is getting tighter, even as it gets further discordant. Em Spooner’s lyrics feel agitated while still reserved as they sing pointedly about being stuck in a rut, a sentiment that everyone experiences from time to time. Much like the song’s cavalcade of shifts, it’s important to remember that sometimes a change goes along way. Maybe for some us, that change is to listen to more Squitch.