As of late, there’s been a saturation of pop rock nostalgia and garage punk that’s been heralded by the likes of King Tuff, Ty Segall, and FIDLAR. Nobunny, although often lumped in with the unwashed denim jacket masses, should not be overlooked as he is able to adeptly own every borrowed sound. Since Love Visions, Nobunny (the alter ego of Justin Champlin) has been self-assured with a flair for theatrics through Rocky Horror Picture Show-esque sexuality and Andy Kaufman pranksterism. Secret Songs is no exception. Every new tune reinvents and dials into the sounds of the Ramones, the Kinks, classic rock’n’roll, and obscure ‘50s pop groups. Nobunny’s reverence grants his songs a memorable and timeless quality, yet Champlin also imbues them with raw urgency, tongue-in-cheek perversion, and various forms of playful depravity—the sort of stuff Buddy Holly never sang about. The production is pleasantly grainy and in no way sounds like cover-up for shoddy musicianship. After you pick up the record, go see ‘em live and get all sorts of weird.
–Sean Arenas (Goner, goner-records.com, [email protected])