Jeffrey Novak used to annihilate sound as a one-man band, tearing it up with more harsh fuzz and screams than even his Memphis peers. Real backwoods noise. But you could hear the song under the gravel; it wasn’t just a mess. Then he toned down a little in the band Rat Traps, proving he could rip it up slower, and really write songs with hooks. Cheap Time is his newest band, continuing the Memphis sound with some Rip Off Records in there. Cheap Time is way less abrasive than the OMB, but also less than the Traps. They stir it up in a truer garage rock’n’roll vibe, quick, tight, snotty—pure. It’s poppy but still with that desperation that Novak seems to capture as good as anyone else, wondering what they are gonna do for work next week.
–mike (Sweet Rot)