Upon first listening to American High‘s Bones in the Attic, Flowers in the Basement, it’d be easy to jump to the conclusion that you had somehow overlooked this album in the ’90s, but don’t fret because this is actually the Sacramento quartet’s debut and you’re now an early champion for the band.
American High’s sound resonates with influences rooted in ’60s psych-rock but it feels even more reminiscent of ’90s nostalgia; some of the best to come out of that decade. Ween, They Might Be Giants, The La’s and more come to mind and that’s plenty to sell us on this still-budding group. Other genre elements come into play throughout the 13-track effort as well, but we’ll let you listen to the album’s entirety below to discover all the goodies.
Although much of the album feels sunny and upbeat, the band’s messages behind the release are much more serious in tone. “This is an anti-war record,” the band says. Songs like ‘September’ and ‘I Can’t Change’ are our attempts to put a human face on the costs of trying to force the world to do what we want them to do. We think everyone should concentrate on minding [their] own business rather than point[ing] guns at each other and demand[ing] obedience.” They continue, “We prefer freeform songs. We tried to make each song completely unique, with a totally different sound for each. Weird chords with weird changes, weird blueprints, weird harmonies and backwards leads. Happy singers singing dark songs of love lost, the costs of constant war, and a scream into the night. WAKE UP!”
Bones in the Attic, Flowers in the Basement is out now and can be purchased via Bandcamp for just $7.
