With the pastiche-heavy work of Bruno Mars and Meghan Trainor cleaning up the Grammys and critics sheepishly accepting a band like The 1975 (who might as well just come out and admit they’re INXS’s foster sons), the fact that a nostalgia-laden rock outfit like Sheer Mag exists shouldn’t come as any surprise.
The Philadelphia five-piece certainly sound like they were born in a bin of Thin Lizzy LPs, but the band adds a lo-fi grit that makes them sound right at home amongst the busted PAs of their beloved city’s basement shows. Building tremendous hype outside of Pennsylvania over the last year with their I and II EPs (including frequent stops in Boston), the fittingly titled III, released yesterday, doubles down on their strengths. EP highlight “Nobody’s Baby” shines with chunky riffs, unabashed soloing, and singer Christina Halladay’s howl straight from the school of Joan Jett.
And if you think Sheer Mag’s lust for the ’70s couldn’t be any more glaring, the VHS-filmed video for “Baby” should put their worship on blast.
