Bless these punks. I fully admit of being in a certain mindframe growing up. It was a direct result of being unrelentingly bashed over the head with the radio canon of classic rock when working blue collar jobs and growing up in the rural high desert. I was in my early thirties before I circled back around and began to appreciate bands like Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, and The Sweet. I’m hypotheticalizing here, but I think True Stereo—although undeniably launching from the DIY punk space station—are steeped in a long, worthwhile rock tradition. They’re on a completely different trajectory than Tucson’s Lenguas Largas, but give thanks to both Lenguas and True Stereo. They’ve separated the good rock music from the shit, then supercharged it and made it their own so you, dear listener, can witness the following: No, it hasn’t all been done; No, DIY punk is not in a musical cul-de-sac or echo chamber; And no, the entire future doesn’t belong to making songs to accompany a product as part of a “lifestyle campaign.” Really fuckin’ good.
–todd (Dead Broke / Family Night)