The Get Right Band released Itchy Soul on Saturday, marking the band’s fifth full-length album since forming in 2011. In addition to a release on streaming services, the band also produced CDs, which include a special augmented reality feature.
At its core, The Get Right Band is a rock ‘n’ roll power trio. Guitarist Silas Durocher, bassist Jesse Gentry, and drummer Jian-Claude “JC” Mears take clear influence from the many decades of rock ‘n’ roll mainstays—everyone from Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix. As you listen through Itchy Soul, the follow-up to 2016’s Who’s In Charge, the band’s ability to channel several different categories of music like psychedelia, electronica, pop, and indie rock becomes ever more clear, resulting in a truly unique-sounding collection of tracks.
The Get Right Band recorded and mixed the album predominantly outside of a music studio, allowing them to experiment and fine-tune the LP and make it the most accurate representation of the group thus far. Itchy Soul touches on many different themes, including self-acceptance, isolation, agitation, politics, and even climate change.
As Durocher explains, “This new album is all-in, maximalist rock n’ roll for grown-up people—kids and adults alike—who know the world is falling apart, who know social media is rotting our brains, who know politicians are taking away our rights, and who know that art and beauty and music and love and action are the antidotes.”
Itchy Soul opens with “Wired”, one of three singles shared ahead of the May 23rd release date, setting the tone for the album. Starting with a synth and dreamlike vocals, the song eventually hits a crescendo before falling back down to a valley that sets up the album’s title track, “Itchy Soul”.
It’s no wonder The Get Right Band chose “Itchy Soul” as the album’s namesake. Featuring punching drums, a driving bassline, and vocals reminiscent of The Black Keys or The Shys, the song constantly builds towards the titular refrain, “I’ve got an itchy soul,” with Gentry and Mears providing memorable backing vocals.
As the album goes on, The Get Right Band shows off ever more versatility. “Fire With Rain” contains a catchy hook, “We fight fire with, we fight fire with, we fight fire with rain,” that sets up some spoken-word verses about the trials and tribulations of life as a traveling musician, while “Future Blood” offers a climate change call-to-action that would make Bon Iver proud.
Much of the album compels the listener to get up and dance, but like any good album, it’s necessary to slow things down every once in a while. Enter: “No Sound”. The strumming of an acoustic guitar can be heard underneath the electric melodies and soaring vocals, which lead into “Interlude #4” and sets up the high octane “Pulled Up Root”. Punk vocals and surf-rock-inspired guitar solos highlight “Pulled Up Root”, while powerfully sustained bass captures the listener’s attention on the next track, “However Broken It Is”, which features a collaboration with comedian Marc Maron. The psychedelic “Love Is Contagious”, replete with detuned instruments and vocal harmonies, then sits before “Give Me Rain”.
Heavily distorted guitar work and the use of negative space on “Give Me Rain” is reminiscent of early Jack White solo albums, and this writer’s favorite track on the album. Itchy Soul contains many high points, and “Give Me Rain” seems to act as the album’s landing gear, leading to “Kryptonite”, the poppy “Get So High”, and the downtempo, quasi-post-rock finale, “Can’t Stand”.
In totality, Itchy Soul scratches the hardest-to-reach musical itches, culminating in a genre-bending explosion of sound and energy.
Listen to the entire album below and head to the band’s website to order a physical copy. When combined with the free Artivive App, the CD offers listeners a trippy, augmented reality experience.
The Get Right Band – Itchy Soul
In lieu of an album release show, The Get Right Band will go live on their Facebook and YouTube pages on Saturday, May 23rd for a conversation about Itchy Soul. Band members will take questions from fans, share their favorite tracks, “making of” stories, and more. Additionally, head to the band’s Instagram page for even more content.