THIS ONE TIME ON BANDCAMP: Boxed Wine
For 110 seconds it’s possible to listen to “Waste Your Time” and imagine you’re hearing the second-coming of They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh, as this band does the exact opposite of wasting our time. This is a tasty pop nugget which gets in your head and then blows the doors off the place, insisting you hit repeat and let the earworms take up permanent residence. The remainder of the band’s Boxed Wine EP does a solid job proving the band is capable of being retro-pop chameleons, but they’re hard-pressed to top the first track. “Molly” does show signs of capable Fountains Of Wayne-esque songwriting chops, and the five songs here stick to the “show, don’t tell” model, never overstaying their welcome. Boxed Wine, hailing from New Jersey (“It’s not as bad a place as you think …”) seem well on their way to creating a template for power-pop creation which is likely to make them household names if they play their cards right. Hear them here first!
