Brooklyn based soul/punk/groove band Evolfo has grown wildly since their formation in 2011 with their old school charm showing new life on Last Of The Acid Cowboys. They’re not retro for the simple sake of sounding retro though; they come by their sound honestly. Though they admittedly steer into the curve with layers of distortion and of a bygone era production techniques, their sound is simply a by-product of their shared influences and their goal of making music that they, themselves enjoy.
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Distorted and purposefully aged, “Moon Eclipsed The Sun” shows a decidedly 60’s organ heavy soul power that shows Evolfo reveling in their influences. You can practically feel the band’s shared smile as a skiffle beat and a riff straight out of 1965 blends with a wildly distorted guitar and equally fuzzed out vocal lead to a hazy but amazing effect. When the horns come in to counter-point the wild frontier sounds of the spacey guitar solo/freak-out the obvious joy felt making this music can not be denied.
Following the twisty space groove of the opener with a heater the aggression factor kicks up a notch with the band skewing closer to road house rock with “Bloody Bloody Knife,” with a guitar line as sharp and dangerous as it’s namesake. Angry rock that encroaches on punk territory, Evolfo peels away everything but the raw sound of their instruments and let themselves be swept along by drummer Angelo Spampinato’s irresistible manic intensity.
“Rat City” builds on the energy of the previous track with an impressive mix of punk sensibilities and horn peals elicit thoughts of ska while a driving organ lead keeps all the spaces filled and the tune humming ever forward. Bluesy, liquefied guitars ebb and flow from big band swagger to a steady holding pattern that evoke some of the sparser alt-country and twang rock sounds give “Don’t Give Up Your Mind” a sense of perpetual motion and inevitability, like the movement of the tides.
Saving the title track for last, “Last Of The Acid Cowboys” is the longest track of the bunch, a mock crime drama giving the band a chance to try on their story teller suits as they weave a tale of ne’er do wells on the prowl for anything heavy while laying down a crunchy, punchy blast of high end garage rock worthy of a spot on any Quentin Tarantino sound track.
What Evolfo has done on Last Of The Acid Cowboys is impressive for a variety of reasons. They manage to show a wide variety of facets to their sound, giving each a distinct music identity while never forgetting the most important part, to create a song worth hearing. Without any allusions or pretension they still present a challenging album of songs that manage to honor the past while looking to the future with a assured zeal that is out and out charming.